Super Smash Brothers: Game Over
by AngelZeroEXE
Summary: A weapon more powerful than anyone has ever known. A frightened fighter consumed by light, and a red messiah swallowed by darkness. A power left sleeping in the Final Pure Soul. As light and dark collide, if these power are left unchecked, it could spell no less... than GAME OVER...
1. Prologue: Shattered Dream

It's finally here! The story I've been working on for months to be ready by today. I have many chapters already typed out, but Pit stole my laptop and lost it in the Underworld. Guess who had to go get it... but no matter. It's finally time for me to share the biggest story I've written to date. Everyone, this is Super Smash Brothers: Game Over.

(-)

(_Music Choice: Calamity Ganon Phase 2_): No one quite knows how he did it, but Robin… did it! He gathered the six Infinity Stones and asserted his dominance over the Smash Mansion.

"Foolish mortals', Robin screamed, 'with these stones, I am omnipotent, and there's nothing you can do!" Grima's aura formed a circumference around the Almighty Schemer as he unleashed an unearthly thunderbolt, knocking many backwards. Unbeknownst to him, Toon Link, Dark Pit, and Elliot somehow managed to slip through the chaos and run off somewhere, with Sparky in tow.

Kamui, who was beside Crow and his second-in-command, laughed her head off as she watched all the destruction. "Robin, think of what you are doing?!', Reflet, Chrom, and Corrin protested, 'you'll destroy the world if you keep this up!" "Oh please', Robin scoffed, 'I may not have the Gauntlet, but I do have the Infinity Tome! With it, I am just as powerful, if not more, than if I had the Infinity Gauntlet. Now, bow before me, the new leader of Smash Brothers!"

The tagline of Smash Brothers Ultimate is "Everyone is Here", and this situation took it to the extreme! All the fighters, including Joker, the Heroes, Banjo, Kazooie, Terry Bogard, all 59 assist trophies, all 42 Pokéball Pokémon, Master Hand, Crazy Hand, and the other characters from Mega Man's, Shulk's, Fox's, Falco's, Wolf's, Piranha Plant's, Ness's, Lucas's and Joker's Final Smashes.

"This is looking bad, Joker', Morgana worried, 'are you sure you can take this thing on? I mean, in Mementos, sure, but this is in the real world." "I'll be fine, Morgana. Just stand back and watch as I take this thing's heart', Joker stated confidently, turning toward Crow (as we will call him from now on), 'Show me your true form, you monster!" Futaba, Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Haru, and Kasumi all nodded as they drew their respective weapons, ready for the challenge which would put Yaldabaoth in Skyworld (please no).

"Shulk, I'm glad we get to fight with you, but this may be a little much", Dunban suggested. Fiora agreed and gave her childhood friends a slightly concerned look. "Shulk, Riki happy to join battle! Leave it to Heropon!", the little Nopon boasted. "Thanks for coming out guys, and now it's Shulk time!", Shulk shouted as Petey Piranha, Ness's party, Kumatora, and Boney offered to help him.

"Guys get ready to fire", Fox ordered. Peppy, Falco, and Slippy aimed their blasters at Crow, who was chuckling while firing huge blasts of energy. "Wolf Pack, be prepared to rush the enemy down', Wolf commanded, 'we must not let him destroy anymore!" Panther, Leon, and even Pigma began to eye their target with murderous looks.

"Rock, no matter what happens, we will always be by your side", X reassured a mildly frightened younger Blue Bomber. "Yeah!", came the simultaneous shouts of Proto Man and all the Mega Men except for Bass, who just nodded. "Okay, I have a plan, but it will take all of us working together to pull it off", Mega Man smiled. "Alright, what's the plan, Little X? I'm, no, we're all ears!", Zero exclaimed. Tabuu gave the Blue Bomber a thumbs-up from inside his head. "I've got you, kiddo', he snickered, 'no matter what curse he casts, you and your friends will be fine. Now, let's kick their butts".

"Everybody', Mario hollered, causing everyone to come to a standstill before turning toward their opponent, "ATTA-". Mario didn't get to finish saying 'attack' before Crow blew everyone away, and in an instant, everything from before was gone.


	2. Chapter 1: Darkness Risen

(_Music Choice: Another Medium: Undertale_): "Dear Mental Diary, It's officially been two days since the take-over, and I'm in mild shock, but mostly plastered-on apathy. Mario, Link, Samus, Joker, they're in prison cells, captured just like I am'

'Crow and Kamui, they took out everyone in their way, even Kirby, and took those who were considered a threat away. Ghirahim, Shadow, Ashley, Marie… Isaac; I miss them all. I'm locked in my own cell, and so are most of the survivors of Crow's attack. But I couldn't save X or Little X (I know it sounds weird in this context, but this is my head). They were some of the last to be taken away. I saw my friends before I blacked out, anguish in their eyes as Kamui took Omega Yato to X's side and he managed to get Little X out of there before they destroyed him, oily tears hitting the floor like raindrops. I wanted to get up, to find the strength to save them, protect them, but I couldn't. Little X, X, I'm sorry I couldn't defend either of you. Maverick Hunter's Honor, Zero".

Zero looked up from his lament at his Z-Saber in a glass case on the other side of the room, and the countless clones of Mr. Game Watch and Rob rushing about trying to serve Crow. 'Will they ever stop', he thought as he went back to reading through his memory.

Before he could delve back into his memory again, Zero heard thudding coming from the top of the basement staircase. "Oh Zero~', an all-too-familiar voice cooed, 'won't you join my army? We could always use another sword user! Lyn is so boring to watch, and you would add quite a bit of flavor to this spicy little concoction. You are a Maverick Hunter, after all."

"For the last time, Crow, I'm not joining your army', Zero scoffed in a minorly-annoyed tone, 'and you can't make me or kill me. So, you might as well stop trying." "Oh, what a shame', Crow smirked, 'X really misses you".

Zero's eyes exhausted, red-tinted shot open as he broke his calm, cool, and collected caricature in two! "What have you done with him?!", Zero screamed, gripping the cage bars. "Right now, I'm having him going after the other 3rd party characters. And I must say, for an artificial creature of his caliber, he has such drive. I had to hold him back from trying to murder Proto Man', Crow cackled lightly. Zero couldn't believe what he was hearing. X? Trying to kill someone!? 'And I bet I could let him go free, back to the way he was as of this very morning, and even a few of his friends so he wouldn't be lonely, if you join me in my conquest to rule all worlds. Come on, Zero. I know you want to see them again."

Zero thought long and hard about the offer, 'I want to see X again, but it's unlike Robin, let alone in this Crow persona, to keep his word. On the other hand, if he can prove X's alive, I'll think on his proposal a bit more. Then I can strike back when the time is right'. "Show me X, alive, and I'll consider it", the SA-Rank Maverick Hunter smirked with fake tears on his breath. "Done and done", Crow agreed, walking out of the room, guards in tow.

A few minutes later, Crow came back with a couple of Robs and a strange figure in tow. Zero gave the figure a disproving stare as it stared back with lifeless eyes. "Don't you recognize your old friend, Zero', Crow taunted, 'He's right here, waiting for you to rescue him, but you're too heartless to even care! Why am I not surprised?"

Zero's anger rose to dangerous amounts, building by the second, as the figure in the cloak seemed to chuckle at him. As Crow continued to taunt Zero, and the latter's rage reached its peak, a voice started to speak in his head; a low, gravelly voice which seem to pierce his emotions and halt time itself.

(—)

(_Music Choice: Brinstar Depths: Smash Ultimate Remix_). "Hello, Zero', it growled, 'how are you? I can see you're in quite a predicament. Do you want me to help you escape? _I_ can help you free your precious companions, no questions asked, no ultimatum, and no pain on their, nor your part; I know you care about them very much. Mega Man X is your best friend, and it honestly pains me to see him in such a state. I can free him from this spell, show you the assist trophies, even take care of Crow-".

'Okay, hold up! Stop talking! Who are you?' Zero snapped back in his head, 'and how do I know you won't use me to hurt them? I know I can't trust you!' "Oh, I see. You're unsure of yourself. Smart of you to say. You won't be fond of the answer, but most mortals know me as Dharkon, and though I may be a being of pure darkness, I assure you I mean well. I mean, not all dark beings are evil, are they? Meta Knight? Shadow Kirby? Heck, to an extent, Bowser?" 'Well, you have a point. No, I'm not the kind of guy you'd count on for justice, and I've had maniacal episodes from time to time, even though I was on the light side of the Final Battle as a dark spirit. Then again, I don't see how you plan to help me. Crow rules with an iron fist, and I can't do much without weapons; I'm stuck in this Naga-forsaken prison cell.'

"Never underestimate the power of darkness, Maverick Hunter', Dharkon chuckled deviously, seeming to tickle Zero's mind and tempt him into something much greater, 'let me assist you in saving your precious friends, and all I ask is you help me find someone in return". Zero, concerned but intrigued, thought, 'Oh yeah? Who exactly are you looking for?'

"Tabuu, you might be familiar with his name, is a celestial butterfly god; he ruled a dimension called Subspace after being unfairly exiled from this world by the hands for an accident he had no control over or power to prevent. The anger from the incident and the poor conditions of his people caused him to search for a way back into this world. He captured Master Hand, stole Meta Knight's ship, enslaved the Isle of Ancients, and released his armies all over the universe. Over the top? Yes. Unwarranted? No'.

'He was eventually defeated and nearly died, but I gave Tabuu his wings back. In return, he would give me a Smasher to play with. But, to my surprise, he turned himself into a Shadow Bug and found himself in the clutches of a little purple thing named Dimentio, who had recently been banished to a portion of Subspace called the Realm of the Lost, which Galeem and I lived in for a while. Tabuu and Dimentio escaped into the trophy world, somehow, don't ask. Enraged, I enlisted the help of long-term residents Count Bleck and Nastasia to get Tabuu to pay his debt for a quick ticket out of this place. Yes, Mr. R was my doing, and in turn, so was Tabuu-Rock. I didn't know it at the time, but if I had kept him, I would've been in a lot of trouble with a lot of Smashers. Of course, Count Bleck's well-thought-out plan failed miserably, but it proved Tabuu is still thriving somewhere, somewhere in the mansion, and I need you to find him."

Zero recalled the "Restrictions Incident", where he believed Tabuu manifested from the remnants of Subspace energy inside Mega Man, and how the Blue Bomber's 'soul', he supposed, combined with Subspace's power and created a clone, or so he thought. Skeptical but intrigued, he answered, 'Alright, I'll help. But if anything happens to an ally, I'm out'. "Done and done', the Ultimate Darkness smirked, 'I'll need to use your body temporarily, but it won't be for long. You'll see your friends with your own eyes before you know it. Now, hold still" Zero felt a strange whirring sensation as his vision slowly blurred, rings formed around his wrists, ankles, and torso, and he fell into a tormented, unconscious state, unaware of Dharkon's true motive.

(—)

_(Music Choice: Divine Decree [Ablaze])_ Back on the outside, Crow continued taunting Zero with the offer as said reploid sat down with his head in the same general direction as the floor. "So, do you accept- wait, Zero, are you feeling optimal? You seem off. If it really irks you that much, I can make you and X partners in my endeavor for complete and utter domination of the multiverse", he flinched, backing away.

Phasing through the cage bars, the newly formed Dark Zero let out a malevolent, intimidating cackle, which made Crow fall back-first onto the floor, covering his head with his arms and whimpering like a Wimpod. A dangerous voice exited Dark Zero's mouth, "Well, well. Look what the Maverick dragged in. Miss me, Robin? I won't be able to take you up on your generous offer. I have a job to do. And for the record, I am the Ultimate Maverick!" Crow dropped to the floor in terrified surprise.

The caped figure stood silently off to the side as Dark Zero approached, the smirk now a scowl. "So, who's really under here?" he snarled, grabbing the hood and tearing it off. A white-eyed Mii stood lazily in front of the Ultimate Maverick, undeterred by the growing dark aura and glowing yellow eyes of Dark Zero. "Ha! I knew it. Zero, I'm a god of my word, so X will be spared. But Master Hand will pay for his insolence, and the world will no longer know light. I hope the Smashers are ready, because Dharkon is back!" Robin gulped as Dark Zero left the prison, saber in hand and launching all the guards out the windows which circled the prison. "Well, this isn't good. But, at least I'm still alive. Now, if only I knew where the other one was".

[End of Chapter 2]


	3. Chapter 2: Light's Requiem

(_Music Choice: Power-Hungry Fool_) 

In another room, Lucas, the PSI user from Tazmilly Village on the Nowhere Islands, was laying up against the west wall with a jaded expression on his face, fiddling with a piece of dried out paint he chipped off the wall.

Ethan the default Villager was acting similarly, while the rest of the captured children Smashers were hopelessly attempting to bring down the cage bars. "We can do it, you guys', Ness pitifully struggled to encourage the others, 'one more try. Heave, hoe!" The tower of kids came tumbling down once they pushed on the barred door. "Do you all, like, mind', Kamui complained, stepping in front of the cage, 'you're all doomed, so why not accept your fate? Bowser Jr already did, so why not be like the cool kids."

Lucas shuddered and tried not to yell at Kamui, Ethan doing the same. Once she left, Ness began to devise another plan, while Lucas and Ethan continued to sit in the back. "What are we gonna do?' Lucas telepathically asked Ethan, 'It's only a matter of time until Crow finds a way to wipe us out for good".

"Well, this would be a lot more bearable if Rock was here', Ethan thought aimlessly to Lucas, 'we could bust out easily with our combined powers". Lucas sighed. Mega Man was currently missing, being searched for by Crow's forces in a desperate attempt to use powers only Lucas and Ethan, as far as they knew, were told about; He had told them in secret a couple of months ago. They could recall those events perfectly:

(_Music Choice: Starker/Wicked Child: Smash Ultimate Remix_)

"Ethan, Lucas, can I talk to you for a second", Rock asked as Lucas had finished the grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup the two little kids were prepared.

Turning to look at Mega Man, Lucas smiled as he swallowed the last piece of the crust. "What's the problem, Rock?" Ethan asked happily with his mouth full. He gave Rock a concerned look, and Lucas quickly joined him, as Mega Man shut the blinds, locked the doors, and turned most of the lights off, save for a lamp near the TV and the light in the bathroom.

The large central rug was surrounded by plenty of sleeping bags and chairs for when the Sensible Squad met often. Lucas and Ethan sat themselves in their own chairs; Rock grabbed a book from the back room. Lucas caught a glimpse at the cover and realized he had seen this book before. Ethan did too. The title: Spells of the Subspace Royal Family, with a peeling paper flap on the cover, which read "Subspace: The Novel".

Rock cracked open the book and shooed the dust out of the way to reveal the Pridish text inside. 'A tome?! Why on Earthbound would a robot have anything to do with actual magic?' Lucas thought frantically as Rock picked a page. "Alright, here goes', he whispered softly, 'guys, you have to promise me not to tell anyone." The two young Smashers nodded as their friend speed-read the page in his head.

Over time, the book began to shed sparkles onto the floor, and right before their eyes, colorful swirls extended from Rock's back into colorful wings. Tabuu's wings! Lucas's beady eyes bugged out of his head, and Ethan flopped on the floor as they realized what had just gone down. "Rock', Lucas broke the silence, albeit quietly, 'Tabuu is…"

Mega Man nodded and turned around to show them his new wings in full. They were gorgeous, spreading a good foot past his fingertips, spiraling, ever whirling in a luminescent teal-spiked rainbow. "This is the most I can do without letting Tabuu take over. Yea, he's still inside me, but I taught him to be friendly, so he won't cause you, or anyone else harm', Mega Man explained, 'but Master Hand will probably kill me if he finds out, which is why I'm only telling you two. Promise not to tell?"

Rock held out his pinky finger. Lucas and Ethan stood up and locked pinkies with him. "Promise!" they replied determinedly.

Returning from his flashback, Lucas looked up at Ethan, and began to pace the cage to burn some energy. Saddened by the state of his friends, angered by Crow's actions which could tear his hopes of a good life to shreds, Lucas could only let his rage build inside him. Which is, until something clicked in his head.

_(Music Choice: Lost in Thoughts all Alone [Original])_

"Lucas, dear boy, what's troubling you?" a feminine voice cooed in his head. "Wait, who are you? Mother? Ms. Rosalina?" the young PSI user guessed mentally. "You may not be very happy with the answer, but I am Galeem', she sighed, 'I sensed your powerful negative emotions and came to your aid."

Lucas shivered as he remembered the awful 'World of Light' incident he was forced to endure, seeing all his friends perish in front of his eyes before being taken himself alongside his only true friends and turned into a puppet, and shuddered.

"Dearest Lucas, I never wanted to take you and your friend's lives, but I had to. If I hadn't, Dharkon would've taken the initiative and stolen you, my other creations, and a certain one, away from me. You've always been one of my favorites, after all."

Confused, Lucas asked, "May I ask what you're doing in my head?" "Oh, right, my reason is quite simple', Galeem concluded, 'I must ask you a favor: My only flawed creation, Waluigi, by means of a morphed version of the Scepter of Rhapthorne, has corrupted Robin and is inadvertently destroying everything I've built, and now Dharkon's gone to possess the one known as Zero, who I managed to bring back from the darkness he was nearly swallowed by before. For these reasons, I need to use your little body as a vessel to defeat him and restore the balance in this world."

Stunned, Lucas nodded in understanding, but also asked, "Well, I'm listening. But I don't want all of my friends to die because I made the wrong decision". Galeem smiled and continued, "Young Lucas, I've learned from my mistakes, and I promise to not bring harm to any Smasher, as long as they do not wish to harm you or me. Do we have a deal?"

After a moment, the gagging silence was broken. "Yes, we do. First order of business, though, can we find Mega Man?" Lucas asked. Galeem agreed, took hold of Lucas's subconscious, and the young Tazmillian Devil quickly slipped into a deep, peaceful slumber.

_(Music Choice: Unflinchable Courage)_

On the outside, the other children Smashers were trying to wake Lucas; he had passed out over the course of the conversation with Galeem. "Lucas? Dude, wake up, you're freaking us out", Ness shouted. Galeem came to in Lucas's body moments later, gathering herself before standing up and walking toward the cage bars.

"Lucas, you okay?" Popo asked. "Yes, Popo, Lucas is alright", Light Lucas replied. "Good! We're- wait what?!" Diddy Kong realized what his friend had just said as the PSI user phased through the cage bars. She waved goodbye to the other children, smiling, "Farewell, friends. I will return soon!"

Bewildered, Kamui jumped up and raced at Light Lucas, only to be held back and thrown into the wall by a mysterious force. "Don't test me, dark denizen', the Tazmillian Angel snarled, 'now, on to look for Mega Man". Kamui fell off the wall, confused and worried.

Sounding the alarm, she watched as Galeem, using the powerful body of Lucas, ran out of the room, determined to find and finally slay Dharkon.


	4. Chapter 3: The Little Butterfly

_(Music Choice: Beneath the Mask [Smash Remix])_

Rock nearly passed out as his back lightly hit a brick wall just outside the front door of the mansion.

"Ack! Dear gods, what a rush', Tabuu gasped in tandem with The Blue Bomber's artificial ticking heartbeat, 'wait, are you alright?" Rock sat down to pull himself together, artificial tears in his wide ocean eyes. He had barely managed to escape Crow's grasp as he and X were taken down.

Mega Man recalled all the painful memories of the previous half hour: Robin, without warning, jumped onto the lunch table and announced he would, from now on, rule the multiverse. Many people laughed until Robin pulled out the Infinity Tome and made the lunch tables disintegrate into the wind.

Master Hand called everyone, and he meant everyone, into the cafeteria to fight Robin, who was now calling himself Crow. Rock met up with his future counterparts, Zero, his brother Blues, and Bass, to take Crow down.

Then, it happened.

Crow cast a powerful spell and caused many fighters to dissipate into thin air. Corrin, gone. Kirby, gone. Sonic, gone. Samus… because he couldn't save her, gone.

The remaining fighters had tears in their eyes as most ran for cover to save those who were left. Marth and Chrom were in shambles over Lucina; Mario lost Luigi and Yoshi; Joker lost half of his party, and Rock shakily raised his buster to avenge his fallen friends. A couple fighters stayed in a hopeless attempt to fight. He, X, and Zero, put up a very good fight as the other Mega Men started to help other Smashers escape, but it wasn't good enough.

'Mega Man', he remembered X crying as Zero fell unconscious, 'I won't let them hurt you! Hold on!'. As those last words echoed in Rock's ears for what seemed like an eternity, X drew a strange weapon and shot his ancestor into a portal of light, never to be touched by Crow, as Kamui dealt the knock-out blow to the first Reploid.

Upon realizing what X had done and what little time he had, Rock ran for fifteen minutes straight before he got out the door, and he was, to his knowledge, safe. Wracked with survivor's guilt, but safe.

Rock sighed wistfully and stood up to leave, only to be mentally stopped by Tabuu. "Mega Man, wait', Tabuu pipped up, 'you can't go back in there". 'Wait, why?' Rock thought, both appalled and confused. "Okay, let me rephrase it: not yet', Tabuu answered, 'go into the forest to hide for now. Crow is too powerful for us to do anything on our own, and I have a plan to defeat him. Now hurry!"

Rock nodded and headed for Dracula's Wood, knowing, thanks to Zero, the Vampire King was gone.

_(Music Choice: Lavender Town Theme [Game Boy Version])_

After a few minutes, the Blue Bomber tripped into a clearing about a quarter of a mile from Forge Master Isaac's Lake, where Zero and Ghirahim were turned into little kids.

(Note: I would not recommend looking up this Isaac. I am not talking about Golden Sun's Isaac. This Isaac's not the nicest character I've had to research, I'll say that).

Sitting in the center of the clearing, Rock cleared his head for a moment and let Tabuu speak. "Alright, I know you hate it when I do things like this', Tabuu coughed grimly, 'but I need you to just stand still and shut your eyes. I'll take care of the rest."

Reluctantly and slowly, Rock leaned against a tree, facing the peach-hued sky above, and shut his eyes. "There', Tabuu mused, 'now I will begin. Just hold still, and no matter what happens, don't move." Once Tabuu stopped talking, a ball of blue light appeared in the blackness of Rock's closed eyes.

His mind's eye followed it around until the ball burst into a ring of golden light. Almost instantly, Mega Man felt himself violently shake, prompting Tabuu to almost 'hold him steady'.

The blue ball performed its dance a couple more times until Rock could feel a strange chill coming from his core, as if it would jump out of his chest at any given moment. "Okay, open your eyes", Tabuu ordered.

_(Music Choice: Hand in Hand: Kingdom Hearts 1)_

Once he did so and got the chance to sit up, Rock felt something refreshing surge up within him, dripping from his core to every other part of his body. "You feel that?' Tabuu asked intently, 'Rock, this is what my people call 'Hope's Power'. I took the despair you felt and transformed it into positive energy!"

Amazed, Rock glanced at his core and brushed the bark off his back, only for panic to settle in once again as he heard footsteps coming from the bushes.

"Who's there?!" Rock shouted, alarmed. Thankfully, a bramble-covered Toon Link stumbled out of the brambles, Sparky, Rock's Pichu friend, on his shoulder. They were promptly followed by a disgruntled Dark Pit and a concerned Elliot, otherwise known as the Hero from Dragon Quest XI.

Smiling, Rock shouted joyfully, "Guys! You're okay!" Taking notice, Dark Pit dashed forward and wrapped the Blue Metal Hero in a warm, soothing embrace as Sparky leaped onto his helmet and nuzzled his cheek with her tail.

"Dear Yggdrasil, Rock, you scared us half to death', Elliot coughed, picking the brambles off Toon Link faster than the speed of light. Dark Pit let go and smiled at his friend.

"Elliot's right!' Dark Pit began, 'now that we're together, we can take down Crow with the number advantage".

Once all the brambles were scattered around his feet, Toon Link pipped up, "We were ushered out of the room before the battle started, and we weren't hit by the spell, so we've been in the woods for about an hour. Oh, and if you're wondering, I fell down a hill about 45 minutes ago and landed in a briar patch".

Mega Man nodded and took Sparky in his arms right before Elliot asked, "Also, why were you laying on a random tree before we got here? Were you tired or something? Or-", then Toon Link cut him off and gestured for Rock to lean down to his level.

"I promised Lucas I wouldn't tell anyone your secret', he whispered, 'I know from him, but you don't have to tell Elliot and Dark Pit, if you don't want to".

Smirking, Rock swooped Toon Link and Sparky onto his shoulders, turned to the Luminary and Dark Pit, and confidently announced, "Guys, let's go. We've got a world to save!"

Angel is out!


	5. Chapter 4: Zeroes and Ones

Hi everyone! I have a bit of an update to get across: I was working on the previous chapter, The Little Butterfly, which is there now, but this ended up getting published instead. I fixed the problem, but if you read this chapter, it's supposed to be here, and I'm publishing it today to apologize for my mistake. And trust me, this one's good. Please enjoy!

_(Music Choice: Core Approaching, Undertale) _

Clones of Mr. Game and Watch scrambled for cover as more and more of their own were incinerated at the hands of Dark Zero, who's laughter increased in volume with every casualty he left in his wake.

"Go on, little wretches', he snarled, raising his Z-Saber, 'run for your pathetic, meaningless lives".

Dark Zero brought the sword down on an unsuspecting 2D being, causing it to explode into flaming bits of tattered paper, leaving it to burn with the rest of its friends. But there were a few pieces of metal he didn't account for. "Everyone! Get him!" a small voice cried.

_(Music Choice: Opening Stage from Mega Man X [SSBU Remix])_

Several blurs of blue whizzed by him as he turned to look at the snarling face of Mega Man X, who was indeed alive, repaired by a mournful Fox, and fully aware of Dharkon's plan.

"Dharkon, let Zero go', X shot sharply, 'or you will have to face us all!" Dark Zero merely smirked, "Oh really? I'd like to see you and your pathetic little friends try!"

"I'll make you eat those words, punk!" Bass screamed. Dark Zero rolled his eyes and grabbed Bass by the head when the latter tried to dash into him. "See what I mean: pathetic", Dark Zero reiterated, throwing Bass out a nearby window with an almighty crash.

Mega Man Volnutt tried to fire at the opponent as fast as he could, only to be rushed down and rammed into a wall. Geo Stellar and Proto Man came up from behind, and Blues managed to score a few strikes; Geo was less fortunate, however, and got thrown into Volnutt.

X was diligent in his pursuit, and joined Proto Man, only something was off; Dark Zero never aimed his attacks at X, and Proto Man took most of the damage.

'Why is he only hurting Blues? Am I not a threat? Or is it something more?' X asked himself, using Soul Body to distract Dark Zero long enough for Bass to climb back up the wall and rejoin the fight. Dark Zero launched Proto Man into a closet and caught X trying to dash away, holding him against the wall.

'HEY!' came a small voice inside Dark Zero's head. 'What?! How?!' Dharkon pondered wildly, letting go of X on accident, 'how are you still in there?!' 'It doesn't matter!' the small voice screamed, 'leave X alone!'

Dark Zero felt a sharp pain in his chest as he realized that his plan was slowly going down the drain; the real Zero was still fighting to regain control. 'No! You are mine now!' Dark Zero snarled, 'I don't care what you say! Your body is-'

"Zero!' X shouted, gripping his friend's shoulders to support him, 'if you're still in there, if you can hear me, fight Dharkon! Your body and mind are yours!" In a split second, all of X's hopes were at their highest, until Dark Zero suddenly gripped X's helmet and chuckled between gasps before slashing X across the chest.

Proto Man rushed over to help X get up as Dark Zero snarled and charged a Genmu Zero to finish him off. Clenching their eyes tightly closed, Blues and X braced themselves for the searing blow, only for a streak of blue to intercept it.

Blues opened his eyes shielded by his arms and sunglasses to see a pair of knee-high blue boots contrast to a navy-blue body suit and a glowing cyan blade creating sparks off the pink saber that would've been his and X's demise.

_(Music Choice: Galar Gym Theme)_

"Hub!' Geo cried happily, 'you came!" Dark Zero was bewildered to find MegaMan.E.X.E, the Cyber World's hero, parrying his Genmu Zero with his Slasher Battle Chip.

"Glad I could make it in time', E.X.E laughed victoriously, pulling away from Dark Zero, 'X, are you doing alright?" "I think he'll be fine, Hub', Geo Stellar answered, 'you've got a guy to take down; we'll get X to safety! You've got this, dude!" E.X.E smirked, pulled up his face mask, and confronted his enemy.

"Alright! Let's bust this virus!" he cried, inserting a new chip and charging up his Mega Buster. Dark Zero was unphased by his new opponent and drew his saber once again. "You can try, little boy", he snickered.

'Dark Zero: HP is 1,200, element is none, main location is the Dark World, main attacks are unknown, Operator is Dharkon.', E.X.E devised his plan!

**BATTLE START!**

By pretending that the spruce floor of the hallway was a 3 by 6 grid, E.X.E could pinpoint exactly where his attacks would land, and where Dark Zero could strike. That was all he needed to win!

"Tri-Lance!" E.X.E started the battle with a bang, unleashing a barrage of lances from behind. Dark Zero grimaced and dodged most of them but got one stuck in his foot. "Augh!" Dark Zero cringed, pulling it out and throwing it away. "Is that the worst you've got?!" he cackled as his HP hit 1,160, 'because I can show you **so much worse! Shadow Wave!" **

Gigantic, dark purple waves careened toward E.X.E much faster than he expected, costing him a bit of HP as he tried to leap over it. "Fine, if **that's **how you wanna play, then I'm more than happy to kick your butt! Take this!" E.X.E shouted with a look of confidence in his emerald eyes, 'Ice Man 3!"

A miniature blizzard rocketed toward Dark Zero, nearly filling the area with snow, leaving him with decent damage.

Snickering at the harm done, Dark Zero, now at 990 HP, drew his Z-Saber and yelled, "Triple Strike!" Laser spears formed in the ceiling, leaving no space safe! E.X.E panicked a little before realizing a way around this! "Ha! You think _that_ can defeat me? Leaf Shield!"

Hiding in the middle of his shield of leaves, E.X.E felt his HP slowly return to its normal 1,000 max as the spears rained and dissipated within the leaf pile, before dropping it when the attack ended.

Angered, Dark Zero launched a second Shadow Wave, only this time, E.X.E knew a way around it. "Dash!" he shouted, zooming past the wave and slamming into Dark Zero for massive damage.

With his HP at 800, Dark Zero knew he had to change his strategy. 'I know what will surprise him!' he thought, snickering slightly. "Dragon's Blade!" A pink, luminescent, light dragon erupted from Dark Zero's saber, getting ready to charge. Nervous, E.X.E rifled through his chips, thinking ceaselessly of how to elude the laser dragon. Holding his breath, he drew a special chip and shouted, "Body Burn!"

E.X.E's armor became engulfed in fire, flames licking at the floor, but never causing damage. As the dragon charged at him, but it fizzled into the blaze like a strip of wood. Dark Zero grunted in annoyance and anger, gripping his Z-Saber so hard, Hub though it would snap in two on the spot. "If you really wanna die that badly' Dark Zero coughed as he raised his saber to the sky, 'I can gladly do you a favor! **Genmu Zero**!"

A giant green laser engulfed Dark Zero's side of the grid, getting bigger with each passing moment, and E.X.E knew this move had the potential to rob him of all his HP, eternally. Eyes wide with fear, Hub had only one option left: Escape.

Panic physically shook E.X.E's entire being as he began to sprint back the way he came, skidding slightly. "Coward!' Dark Zero screamed, 'you can't run from darkness! Say goodbye, Hikari!"

The green beam of death was hurled toward E.X.E, gaining speed with each inch of ground it devoured. 'I'm not gonna make it in time!' E.X.E thought, feeling himself trip. Now with all hope lost, Hub crossed his arms in front of his body and face, bracing himself.

(—)

Moments passed, white noise filled E.X.E's ears, but he felt no pain. Confused, Hub lowered his guard and stood up, expecting to see Dark Zero, but instead staring at the back of X, who had deflected the shot with a Giga Attack, leaving Dark Zero on the floor! "X! You're okay!" E.X.E exclaimed.

X turned around and knelt to Hub's level, smiling childishly. "Your friends are okay, dude', X laughed and gasped, very abnormal for him, 'no, I'm not X, but I need you to help me find his little friend, 'kay." A hidden timer on X ran out and transformed him back into a slightly shorter bot with purple armor and red hair that reminded E.X.E of pineapple leaves.

"The name's Axl', the teenage Reploid shot quickly, helping E.X.E to his feet, 'we've gotta find Rock. Let's go!" Remembering X's many stories, E.X.E followed Axl down the hall into the Assist Trophy quarters. If they were going to stop Dark Zero, they needed help, or rather, assistance.

-Angel is out! Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 5: Love Conquers All

Okay, I'll admit it, getting this chapter out took a little longer than I'd've liked, but here it is. I want to make a brief announcement: there is minor (and I mean _minor_) blood in this chapter. If you have a problem with blood, I apologize, but it's here. Without further ado, you may proceed.

_(Music Choice: Rivers in the Desert)_

Light Lucas's (or LL's) sneakers thumped down the hall with a stride hastening by the second; she had two missions: 1) Find Mega Man, and 2) kill Dharkon.

More shady presences were inundating the halls, but a couple of quick attacks made hasty work of the enemies. 'Lucas, precious, I promise we'll find a way out of here soon.' Galeem cooed to her sleeping host's conscious, doing away with another massive adversary.

Wheezing, LL propped up against a wall to relax for a minute or two, taking a good long look at herself. Lucas's skin had gone from sort of pale to a glowing white, blond hair neat and tidy, while still in a cowlick.

Her shirt was now a marbled blue and hot-pink, the denim shorts were turned off-white, and the red and yellow sneakers had been replaced with white loafers that added a bit more pain to the kicking attacks that normal Lucas used to perform, on the ledge, to Incineroar (that got annoying after a while).

Galeem would have reminisced a little longer if not for a loud crash from the northward hallway, followed by some shrill -and unfortunately familiar- cackling. "Hey Lucas', a selfish, entitled voice screamed, 'come out and play-yay, if you _dare_! Spankety, spankety, spankety! HA!" The voice was undoubtably Porky's. Groaning in disgust, LL went to face the Pig King.

'Porky, for my sake, why must you show up, and ruin my life', LL decided against saying. The light goddess took a deep breath and sighed, her middle finger and thumb on the bridge of her nose.

"Well, Lucas!' Porky yapped from his Earthbound Spider-Mech in all his bratty (not absolutely safe) glory, making her cringe, 'now that the mansion is in anarchy right now, this gives me the perfect opportunity to start my plot for world domination! Now, outta the way, meanie head!"

Rolling her eyes, LL let a bit of PSI energy flicker at her fingertips and smirked, "Well, Pork-stain, I have zero tolerance or time for your antics, but you're in my way, so I must destroy you".

(Music Choice: Master Porky's Theme: Mother 3) **BATTLE START! **

LL was fully prepared for an encounter like this, and led off with a PSI Defense Up, just in case Porky had any tricks up his sleeves. She was very correct. Porky suddenly shouted, "?! …What did Porky do?!", and bombs flew in all directions. 'Oh, for the love-' LL thought, expertly dodging the bombs with little effort.

On her left knee, panting for breath, for some breath, LL stuck her hand up and yelled, "PK Flash!" A teal burst erupted in midair, blinding Porky for a moment and costing a quarter of his HPs. Tears dripped from the Pig King's eyes as PK Flash's secret effect took hold.

"Like it? PK Flash has double the potency of Sobble tears. Have fun trying to hit me", LL smirked slightly. "Argh! Fine, you bully', Porky pouted through artificial tears, "I hope you liked the pain of your mother's death, cause this is gonna hurt a lot!"

Time seemed to stop for a moment then. Galeem could hear whimpering coming from behind her, and turned to see Lucas, in his slumber, sobbing quietly. It broke Galeem's heart.

Lucas had been through so much in his adventures; he had nearly lost it all, kept going regardless, and was barely keeping it together as is. Now, Porky was back to break him. 'No', Galeem thought, 'I will not let this pig hurt you, dearest Lucas. I swore I would help you', Galeem took a person's form and traced her long, pearly white fingers down Lucas's tear-stained cheeks, 'And Porky cannot, no, will not stop me!'

Returning to the present, LL's face turned ferocious, jutting two fingers into the still air. "PK Love Omega!" she screamed, blasting Porky's machine to smithereens.

The Pig King grimaced and tried to slink away, only to be PK Fired in the back by LL and told by her to "get lost before I throw you out a window". Porky listened for once and ran for the door, a huge hole in the back of his shirt that would've made Sonic and Pit burst out laughing.

Smiling, Light Lucas began to start in the other direction, only to be stopped by a gargled voice. "Lucas!' it squealed, 'I'm so happy you're okay!" A mop of something orange, slimy, and sweaty flopped into LL's face, a fanged grin and bright orange eyes coming into view soon afterward. It was Sunny, Inkopolis' own chatterbox.

(_Music: Octoweaponry [Smash Remix]_)

Without warning, she grabbed LL's hand and dragged her across the hall, through a large purple door, and down a long spiral staircase to a large piece of debris. "So, what is-" LL started before Sunny pointed frantically at a white-billed red cap covered in dust.

LL racked Lucas's memories for anything related to a cap that wasn't Ness; her stomach dropped when she realized who was under the rubble. LL frantically used her telekinetic abilities to drag the stones away and reveal the unconscious, bruised body of the infamous Trainer Red!

Pokéballs were scattered on the floor around him, and a small amount of blood was pooling around his white shirt collar, leaking from a multitude of cuts on his arms and head. "Do not fret, this is Smash, he isn't dead', LL calmed Sunny, 'give me a moment. PSI Life Up Beta!" Ming-tinted energy surrounded Red, causing his wounds to vanish and his eyes to slowly flutter open.

Sunny, tears dripping down her cheeks, explained what happened: "Red and I escaped from the cage the kids were kept in once you left; the two of us were determined to find you and set things right.'

'Once we found you fighting Porky, Red signed to me that we should head to the assist trophy area to see if we could find Jeff and send him to help you; unfortunately, once we got down there, Zero burst out from a wall and attacked while chasing two people around 5'4 I couldn't recognize. One was purple with red spiky hair and pistols, and the other was blue with a sword for a hand.'

'Red signaled for me to go and find him, and just as I was about to get Jeff out from his hiding place, Red grabbed my shirt and tossed me off to the side as a bunch of debris fell on him! He weakly signed to me to go get help, so I dodged more debris and ran up to where you were fighting Porky. You finished, so I ran to get your attention, and here we are now".

Red stood up, tapped Lucas on the shoulder and signed, 'Thank you', before going to pick up his Pokéballs. "You say that Zero attacked you?" LL inquired quietly. Sunny nodded as a red and black blur zoomed around a corner in the distance out of the corner of her eye.

"Then we must make haste; Dharkon could reach Mega Man before us, and I cannot let that happen', LL jabbed her fist into her hand, 'Sunshine Inkano of Inkopolis Plaza. Pokémon Trainer Red Torena of Pallet Town. We will be the ones to defeat Dharkon and restore balance in this realm. Come along".

The trio marched off up the stairs to resume LL's original quest, Sunny jogging eagerly, but Red was a little more cautious. 'This could be good. Galeem learned her lesson, as of now. But if old habits die hard, this could be a disaster', he thought as he followed LL out of the quarters into the hallway in search of Capcom's legendary Blue Bomber.


	7. Chapter 6: Magic and Mystery

Dear goddesses, this took absolutely forever, and I'm so sorry that the wait was eternal. But, trust me, this chapter covers the group from 'The Little Butterfly', and I made sure that the story was top notch! With that, please enjoy!

(_Music Choice: Po Town Field Theme [Sun and Moon]_)

A few drops of water smacked Toon Link, dripping down his flaxen hair, leaving strips of droplets on his face. His companions were in similar situations. Elliot uselessly smeared the rain on his face while Quinn (Dark Pit) dithered his left wing over Mega Man's rain-stippled helmet in a despondent effort to keep said robot boy and Sparky somewhat dry; Toon Link lead them out of Dracula's Wood.

Smiling, Rock turned to Quinn and giggled, "Thanks for the umbrella, Quinn. I wish I could do the same". The dark angel smiled warmly, giving Rock a bro-hug. "Guys, guys, guys!' Toon Link squealed, snapping everyone out of their heads, 'I see the mansion! And… oh Hylia!"

He was right in every sense of the word: wreckage was everywhere, and the mansion desperately needed repair. Elliot covered his mouth, Sparky held back tears, Toon Link couldn't say anything else once he pointed out the disaster and choked up, Mega Man reached for Quinn's hand, and it took every fiber of the latter's self-control to not cover Rock's eyes with his other wing.

Elliot raised his eyes to the clouds and pointed out, "We must keep moving. No doubt, Crow will be aware of our position before long. We should find a way inside". The group agreed and headed in the general direction of the rain-covered mansion, only to be stopped a moment later by a noticeably shaky Toon Link.

"Toon', Rock asked, alarmed, 'what's wrong? Are you sick? Do you need-" "Someone's here that shouldn't be', the Wind Waking Warrior prattled whilst his teeth chattered, making everyone stop dead in their tracks, 'someone that we can't face alone". Quinn felt himself become nauseous instantly as he dreamt the horrid outcomes of Toon Link's anxious message. 'Please don't be Goku. _Please don't be Goku_. **Please don't be Goku!**" he thought, squeezing Rock's hand tighter. Fortunately, the perpetrator wasn't Goku, not even close. Unfortunately, the person scaring Toon Link wasn't much better.

A crow squawked in the distance, then flew over to peck at Toon Link's hat before fluttering to the floor. Then two more arrived, then four. Suddenly, the small black birds were everywhere. Rock put Toon Link on his shoulders to hold Sparky and slowly waded into the sea of black feathers, Quinn took to the sky to look for a clear route and Elliot followed close behind Rock.

The further the squad got into the patch, the more fidgety and panicky Toon Link became, almost to the point of dropping Sparky. "Hey, Toon, it's alright. You're okay." Rock attempted to calm him down, nearly running into someone. That someone wasn't Elliot. "Huh? Wait who are- Robin!" he shouted in alarmed concern.

Elliot drew his sword from its sheath almost immediately, Quinn plucked the Silver Bow from his chiffon as he landed on the ground behind, and Toon Link took out the Master Sword and waved it threateningly at the man. "Oh no, I'm not Robin', the man chuckled cheerily in a voice that was very unlike Robin's, 'my name is Henry. It's very nice to meet you all."

(Music Choice: Ghost Fight: Undertale)

Unconvinced, Quinn barked, "Okay, _Henry_, what do you want? We've got somewhere to be, thanks." Henry may have shared many parallels with Robin, but they had a few discrepancies that became more obvious the more Henry talked. Apparently, Henry had been sent here on very important business from an unknown source, as he put it, and was tasked with making sure Mega Man was unharmed, "with as much bloodshed as possible".

Everyone was slightly disturbed, to say the least. "Um, oh, kay? I guess that's, alright", Elliot stuttered, sheathing his sword. Sparky death-glared Henry for a solid minute before beckoning for Toon Link to pet her, while Quinn murmured ever-so-softly into Henry's ear, "Hurt Rock, and die a slow, painful death". "Oh no, I want to die a death that's completely painless', Henry explained, 'I don't like ouchies." Rock giggled a bit and replied, "No problem, Mr. Henry. Lead the way!"

Quinn wrapped his arm around Elliot and followed Rock, who pitter-pattered after Henry. The Plegian Dark Mage wove a path through the ocean of crows that sat on the lawn of the once-beautiful mansion, cawing mindlessly. It was oddly relaxing. That is, until Henry turned around and giggled, "Stand back everyone. I have a surprise for you!" Henry pulled a tome from his robe and flipped through a few pages, stopping to lick his finger a couple times. "Ah-ha! Here it is!' he smirked playfully, 'now this is going to be destructive!"

A moment later, the group was teleported inside, and Henry released a gigantic explosion that was so darn loud that it physically shook Mega Man to his soul, causing Tabuu to freak out a little. Thousands of shreds of black paper and metal floated on the dense air like snowflakes on a winter afternoon.

(Music Choice: Premonition: Undertale)

Toon Link hiccupped in surprise, dropping Sparky, who climbed back up a moment later with a disgruntled look on her face. "Now, after you, young blue child", Henry politely bowed and gestured down the hall. "Rock', Toon Link's teeth chattered from the draft coming in from the broken windows, 'I don't like Henry. Judging a book by its cover is one thing, I know, but, he blew up the hallway, and now he's acting like nothing happened. I think I have the right to be concerned." "And you do', Rock confirmed as Elliot caught up with them, 'but I think Henry deserves just as much of a chance as the rest of us. But trust me', his voice lowered to a deadly whisper, 'he tries to hurt you in any way, shape, or form, and Quinn and Elliot won't be the only sources of ouchies."

Toon Link stifled a giggle as Sparky hopped off his shoulder to go sit on Elliot, and Henry took the lead again. "Right this way", Henry smiled kindly, closing his tome. Quinn nudged Elliot and whispered, "Elliot, with all due respect, you don't trust this guy, do you?" "Not really', the Luminary answered, adjusting his shield to be a smidgen more comfortable, 'I mean, if he genuinely wants to help us, I'm all for it. But, I dunno, we're already on edge. Maybe I'm overthinking it."

Rock repositioned Toon Link so the latter's head was laying up against Rock's chest, and moments later, he got a strange signal coming from nearby. "Henry, I-" Rock started to say, when he was interrupted. "You have nothing to be nervous of, my boy. Just relax, I'll get you all to where you need to go", Henry smiled gently, stroking Mega Man's helmet lovingly. Toon Link buried his face into Rock's shoulder while wearing a face of confused disgust, clearly unsettled.

"Hey, Henry', Rock began again, stronger this time, 'if you don't mind, Toon Link isn't very comfortable with the way you're acting. He would appreciate it if you would not pet me like that". Quinn, Elliot, and Sparky perked up their ears to get some sense of what was going on, and Quinn reached for his Silver Bow, expecting Henry to hurt Rock. He and Elliot walked faster to be in line with Henry, just in case he got any funny ideas. Toon Link rested his head on his buddy's shoulder, not expecting to be face to face with a familiar evil mug: Mordegon.

(Music Choice: C.R.O.W.N.E.D from Kirby's Return to Dreamland) 

Toon Link, now gripped by dread and fear, felt around for his sword, desperate to find something to defend himself with. "Toonie, are you okay?" Rock asked, taking Toon Link's chin off his shoulder as the Wind Waking Warrior drew the Master Sword. He was quite surprised to see Toon Link's sword out, but even more shocked when Mordegon's reflection appeared in the Master Sword.

Silently, Rock's armor turned grey and teal as he began to walk faster. Elliot picked up on the message, secretly leafing through his Command Selection book. Quinn, gritting his teeth, turned slowly toward Henry and murmured murderously, "That had better not be your friend, mage". Elliot turned around, readying his chosen command, when he noticed Mordegon forming a strange set of symbols in a circle around Mega Man's head. Toon Link scratched Rock's left arm to try and draw his attention to Mordegon, but Mega Man already had a plan. Without warning, Rock flipped around, Toon Link scrambled onto his shoulders behind his head, and Rock yelled, "Draconic Torrent!"

An enormous tornado of water erupted from the Mega Buster, and Mordegon, with zero time to react, getting launched a few feet back. Elliot ran up and unleashed his Hatchet Man attack, fraying the singed carpet, and leaving Mordegon with a cut cloak. Elliot ran back to join the others, who were armed and ready to take Mordegon out. Even Sparky was charged with electricity and ready for combat.

Annoyed, Mordegon stood up, shook his sopping wet cloak a little, and raised his hand toward the Luminary. "You have been in my way for far too long, my boy', he smirked, making Elliot feel slightly uncomfortable, 'it's high time I taught you what the darkness can really do! Zammle!"

Dark spheres erupted from Mordegon's hands and charged at the group, who dissipated quickly. "Electro Shocker!" Quinn yelled, jumping off the wall to ram the giant electrified mass on his arm into Mordegon. He just barely missed, giving the wicked mage the opportunity to give Quinn a swift blow to the shin. "Hiyah!" Toon Link charged into Mordegon's knees in response, slicing more of his cloak.

He attempted to smite Toon Link with more darkness when a violet blade went flying at his face. SMASH! "Fore! Buster Blade!" Rock squealed, sending Mordegon flying into the wall. Elliot began to charge a Sizzle, and Rock shouted, "Elliot! On three! One! Two!-" "I've got this', Henry interrupted, 'Elfire!" A familiar explosion burst from the time Henry was carrying, blasting Mordegon away, yes, but he didn't warn the party in time, so Rock and Toon both ended up unconscious.

Sparky yelled angrily at Henry while Elliot went to drag his friends out of the way, just in case Mordegon came back. "While I appreciate you getting Clowny McFreakazoid out of the way, Henry', Quinn grumbled sarcastically, hoisting Toon Link's unconscious body onto his shoulder, 'could you have warned them just a tad earlier? Just a tad?!"

Elliot, confused on how he was supposed to carry a robot that weighed give-or-take 200 pounds, dragged Rock by the boot over to Quinn and began to follow him slowly. "Okay. I have two questions', he asked Quinn, 'one, what's the best way to carry Rock, and secondly, when do I get to attack Henry?" Henry, in response, waved kindly and slowed down to talk to the agitated teens. "You have no need to worry, my friends', Henry cheerfully giggled, causing steam to start pouring out if Quinn's ears, ''while I apologize for dear sweet Mega Man's lack of consciousness, I shall still take you where you need to go".

"And where is THAT, I might ask?", Elliot grunted as Rock's head got stuck on a torn piece of carpet. "It's a surprise! If I told you, the fun would go away!", Henry retorted, repositioning his cloak. About 20 minutes of walking, carrying Rock, (and praying to Yggdrasil that Mordegon wouldn't ambush them) later, Henry had lead Quinn, Elliot, Sparky, and the newly-awakened Toon Link into the old mess hall, completely empty and barren, with the exception of one person, someone that could help them: and that someone was Ike.

-End of Chapter

Once again, thank you so much for staying with me here. I know this took an eternity to come out, but I do hope you enjoyed it. Thank you for reading! Also, I would like to point out that my one-shot collection has been a little inactive lately, so, if anyone could comment there, I would like that. In fact, I love reading your comments! They're always so nice, so please, comment all you want! I don't mind at all :)! Thank you for all of your support! Angel is out!


	8. Chapter 7: Rising from the Ashes

I'm so sorry it took so long to get this chapter out! I had serious writer's block from quarantine, so finding the motivation and the right words for this chapter, but it really ties some things together. Please enjoy!

**(Music Choice: Pasta- FATAL FURY 2)**

"What the heck were you thinking?! Why in the world would anyone wanna be down here?!" Hub Hikari carped, wiping some muck off his boots while Axl took out one of his laser revolvers to fidget with it. "I know I saw Zero head this way', the prototype snapped back, cleaning a smudge off his gun with his left thumb, 'and one of his friends is a mage, I think her name is, Ash? Ash, Ash… Ashy, Ashley! Right, that was it."

A small whimpering reached Hub's ears as he turned to see a little girl in a red dress, sobbing into her hand, a little white rabbit toy at her feet. "Axl', he pointed at the girl, 'is that who we're looking for?" Axl's oddly pineapple-like hair tickled E.X.E's nose a little as the former whipped his head around to face the way the latter was pointing. "I think you might be right, Hub', Axl agreed, 'that might be her."

The two waltzed over to the little girl, trying their hardest not to scare. Hub tried to start up a conversation in the meantime. "Excuse me, you're Ashley, right?' he asked as the little girl looked up at him, 'I'm Hub. Hub Hikari. And pineapple head over here is Axl.' Axl lightly nudged E.X.E in annoyance before the cybernetic warrior continued, 'we're looking for someone named Ze-". "NO!", she screamed without a hint of warning. Ashley's eyes turned a deep crimson, and her hair grew white as she leaped up and grabbed Hub by the shoulder pads.

"Woah! Kid! We're not here to hurt you!" Axl coughed in alarm as Ashley jumped off E.X.E and drew her wand in her off hand. "They took him away… **They. Took. My. Brother. Away!**" the young mage growled through gritted teeth. Axl finally stepped in settle this, only for Ashley's wand to be up in his face in mere moments. "You take another step, and I'll turn you into a spoon, pineapple head!" "Seriously?! Why does everyone call me that", the Reploid griped, hands twitching while nearing the holsters for his laser pistols.

Ashley raised her wand high into the air, readying a spell, only to be quickly stopped by the hand of Hub Hikari. "Ashley, we're not here to hurt you', he calmly explained, 'we need your help to find Zero. Axl heard that he's a friend of yours, so we thought you could help." The young mage stopped for a minute, considering what Hub had said, and asked in a very shy voice, "You want me, to help you, find… Zero?" "Yes!" Axl rejoiced briefly. Ashley gripped her wand in both hands, rubbing the handle uncomfortably. "You have our word', Hub smirked, giving her a thumbs up, then opening his hand back up, 'so, could you give us a hand?"

Silence loomed in the air like Nightmare's darkness spell for a while before Ashley's eyes welled up with tears. Surprised, and very concerned, Axl asked, "Hey, are you all-" "**Liars!**' she suddenly shouted at a much higher volume, causing the two to flinch, 'Crepitus!" A nigh-deafening explosion blasted Hub and Axl back into the foyer, right next to a couple of sofas. "We said we mean you no harm, Ashley! Why are you attacking us?" Hub cried, flipping a desk over to hide behind it.

"My brother died defending us from Crow! I could have helped him more, but I was too much of a coward! Don't. Remind. Me!" Ashley choked on her words, tears pouring from her eyes like bath water. Those memories hurt, she had a difficult time forgetting it as was, but Axl and Hub's words brought them all flooding back, and she unleashed a barrage of magic attacks as the horrible remembrances filled her head like a pitcher.

**(Flashback)**

**(Music Choice: March to Deliverance)**

"Everybody', Mario hollered, causing everyone to come to a standstill before turning toward their opponent, "ATTA-". Crow read off a spell, a dangerous spell, and a huge explosion overtook the crowd. Half the roster withered to dust, their souls floating toward the Infinity Tome like moths to a flame. Ashley watched in horror as people she had known for years disappeared in an instant. She clung to Zero's boot, beckoning him to look down at her while praying to any and every god that Lyn had told her about that he wouldn't disappear.

"Z-Zero!" she sobbed quietly, trying not to get the likes of Waluigi to see her, 'what's happening?!" Grimacing, Zero picked Ashley up, and gave her one last hug. "Ashley' Zero sighed, adjusting her headpiece slightly, 'go and hide, I don't want you to get hurt." Trembling, Ashley clutched her wand and whimpered, "Please, be safe".

Then, she saw something that no one had ever seen before: a single tear slipped from Zero's left eye. Ashley reached out with her tiny hand to wipe the tear away, making Zero giggle a little, and murmured subtly through welling tears, "We're family, not by blood, but by bond. I don't want you to fight, but I know you must. I'll be cheering for you the whole time, Zee-Zee".

Finally setting her down, Zero turned to face Crow, who was already taking away plenty of fighters and assist trophies. Ashley walked behind a lunch table that had been flipped over and turned her wand into her broom, getting ready for a quick escape. She had always loved Zero's fighting style, so effortless and swift, but also accurate, and it had variety that was hard to come by. Zero, his friend X, and the smaller Mega Man that Zero had dubbed Little X, attacked Crow with all they had.

And what an epic battle it was! Crow looked like he couldn't keep up with attacks coming from all sides; it looked like the heroes were winning, filling Ashley with a newfound hope. But nothing lasts forever: Crow launched a powerful incineration spell. Leaving everyone that wasn't sheltered behind something with nasty burns; and it all went downhill from there. Ashley watched, anguish in her eyes as Crow launched a multitude of spears, striking down many fighters as one by one they were dragged away, but Ashley was only focused on one spear: the one that had pierced Zero's heart.

Launching him backward, Zero crashed to the ground with a short thud, struggling to pull the spear out of his chest. He moved less and less, trying in vain to remove it. Ashley felt her grip tighten on her broom, trembling as if there was an earthquake, resisting the powerful urge to run over to Zero and get him away from that monster. Zero wearily tried to stand up, and in sort of a half-crawl, he reached Ashley himself.

In short, pained gasps, he managed to say, "Sis, don't cry. I know this is scary, and I know that I'm hurt, but once the rainstorm passes, we will make it work". With one more tug, Zero forcefully removed the spear from his chest, sparks flying from the open wound. "I promise you', he smirked, handing Ashley a picture he had in his pocket: it was of the two of them, a day after the invitational, wearing casual clothes and great big smiles, 'I will be back. It may not be soon, but I will be back."

Zero stood up and charged back into battle once more, Z-Saber back into his hand. Ashley grinned at the picture before folding it up, putting it in her dress' pocket, and watching Zero fight once more. The group of about 20 people fought Crow valiantly, and they came so very close to avenging their friends, but it just wasn't enough. Crow released a horrifying explosion, followed by Kamui rushing at X.

But Ashley didn't care about that.

No, all she saw...

was Waluigi...

with a Killing Edge...

driven through Zero's back...

_(music stops) _

Ashley's whole world went black and white as X shouted something incoherent, summoned a portal using one of his special weapons, and launched Little X through it. Kamui, seeing an opening, struck X in the side, piercing a cooling unit, and leaving him to barely dash away in time. But all Ashley saw was Zero, crumpling into a heap on the floor, while Waluigi withdrew his sword and laughed over his body like a psychopath, screaming insults in a joyous tone that made the young mage sick to her stomach.

Unable to take it anymore, Ashley ran away, sobbing like she never had before. As she ran, she repeated the little poem that her big brother told her, "I- *hic* I know that this is, is *sniffle* scary, and I know- *cough cough* that I, I'm hurt. B-but once the- *hic* rainstorm pass, passes, we will, may, make it, work". Driving her face into her hands, Ashley ran until she reached the assist trophy quarters, which was already in ruin.

She looked at her tear-stained hands for a moment, before noticing the picture in her pocket; she took it out and saw how happy the two of them looked, and how stoic they usually were. "Zero… Zee-Zee', Ashley murmured to herself, "Zero… no" She began sobbing quietly, walking into a corner, and crying for hours until the lines of her memories has blurred.

**(End of Flashback) **

Ashley dropped to her knees, letting go of her wand, crying quietly to herself. Hub attempted to approach her once again, and this time she didn't go ballistic. "We're sorry we reminded you of that', he reassured her, 'if we had listened, we would've been more considerate. This one's on me, Ashley, and I'm sorry" Ashley dried her tears and began to explain the events of the past few hours to Hub and Axl, knowing she could trust them.

After about 10 minutes, she finally let them explain: "Okay, we have good news and bad news for you', Axl popped out from behind a couch, 'good news: Zero's not dead, he's very much alive, bad news, he's been possessed by Dharkon, and is coming to kill E.X.E, so we need you to help jog his memory". "Oh! I get it now!' Ashley realized, standing on her tiptoes, 'sorry for being so irrational before; I'll help you two out." Hub smirked and picked Ashley up, preparing to leave. "Alright, Axl. Onward, and-" CRASH!

**(Music Choice: One of A Kind- Bayonetta)**

A huge hole was formed in the rightmost wall with an almighty blast, and a figure gracefully leaped down from his self-made door; Ashley recognized it immediately and smiled brighter than she had in years. "Hello, Hikari. Going somewhere?!' Dark Zero cackled, ' and… Axl? I'm so glad you could join us this fine evening". "Shut up!" Axl shouted angrily, 'I know you're not really Zero, Dharkon! Let him go!"

Ashley's smile weakened considerably; she glad that her brother was alive, but was still in shock at the state he was in. Zero's hair was jet black and much messier, the red of his armor leaking blood red streaks into it, softening the color of his armor to a pretty magenta. His eyes now shown with a glistening, Isaac-like yellow, and his armor still looked like Zero's, but the tips of his helmet, boots, and where his boots met his knees were much sharper, and so were his teeth, sharpened to daggers. The orbs on his chest had vanished, and a silver band that wrapped Zero's torso took its place, reminiscent of where Waluigi had struck the killing blow. But the most startling change for Ashley was his Z-Saber, a singular, sharp beam of energy colored the red of Dracula's wine, shimmering in Ashley's big black eyes like candlelight.

"Axl… run", Hub murmured. "Huh?" Axl replied as Dark Zero withdrew his saber and raised an enlarged Titan Breaker, a war-hammer. "Axl, RUN!" Hub reiterated, this time shouting. Now that Dark Zero had access to his host's special attacks, he was truly dangerous, and to fight him to be a death sentence; running away like a little sissy baby was the only viable option, and that's exactly what they did. But, out of the corner of his eye, Axl couldn't help but notice a streak of neon orange running up the stairs leading out of the assist trophy quarters.

-End of Chapter

Thank you for staying with me here! I really hope you enjoyed, and I hope I can get the next chapter out soon. Angel is out!


	9. Chapter 8: Hero

Okay, to be real, this chapter took absolutely forever. It's gotta be my longest chapter yet. But I have a sneaking suspicion that it's going to be the best. Oh! By the way, there is a small curse word around the end, so if I need to change the rating because of it, please tell me. Now, without further ado, please enjoy!

**(Music Choice: Here We Are [True Lab Field Theme]- Undertale)**

Orange ink dotted the corridor, clearly showing where Light Lucas' troop had been. Sunny, who was a nervous wreck that had been right behind LL the whole time, had splatted anything that moved for the past thirty minutes that they had been walking.

Red, on the other hand, was quite content just staying in the back and having an inward nervous breakdown as LL lead them further down the path. "I understand that you both are nervous', LL turned to his two friends, 'but you have nothing to fear. I assure you, I have learned my lesson, and I don't intend to do something irrational without Dharkon to aim it at." Red signed to Sunny in response, "That's not Lucas. It's Galeem in Lucas's body." Sunny nodded as a butterfly pit formed in her stomach

Red's Squirtle, aptly named Squirtle, popped out of his Pokéball, glaring suspiciously at LL. Red gave him a pat on the head before beckoning him into his Pokéball once more. But, oddly enough, that didn't happen. Instead, Squirtle leapt out of Red's arms and made a mad dash for the hallways ahead.

'Squirtle, wait! That's dangerous!' Red signed frantically, racing after his Pokémon. "Red, do not go ahead of me! RED!' LL shouted agitatedly, 'come, Sunny. We have a trainer to chase". Red chased his Squirtle through the corridors, LL not far behind, and Sunny just barely keeping up.

It was about 20 minutes until Squirtle halted at one of the three entrances to the mess hall, which had been torn and beaten from Crow's initial attack. Nervous, Squirtle chose now to climb back on to Red's shoulder. "Okay, now that we're- oh!' LL realized, 'this is where I wanted to go! Forget everything I said previously, thank you Squirtle!" "Squirtle! Squirtle squirt! [No problem, Luke]", Red's Pokémon chuckled in a tone reminiscent to that of a mafia boss from one of those old movies.

Unsure of what laid beyond the door, Sunny slowly pushed it open, only to find a pleasant surprise beyond it:

Elliot, Quinn (Dark Pit), Toon Link, Sparky, and Ike, along with the unconscious body of Mega Man, and someone that shared uncanny similarities to Crow. Henry looked at Lucas, patted Mega Man on the head momentarily, and warped away.

** (Music Choice: Traverse Town Field Theme- Kingdom Hearts 1)**

"Guys!" Sunny shouted, making multiple heads turn. Rock sat up and rubbed his head in pain, noticing the new arrivals a little later than his buddies. "Sunny! Red! Lucas! Thank goodness you're okay!" he smiled purely, rushing up to them. "Goodness, Mega Man, I'm glad you're alive. Now, you've got Dharkon to beat. Come along now", LL ushered, taking Rock's hand.

"Wait just a minute', Elliot piped up, 'Rock, Ike's stuck between the tables, you need to help him". "Oh, okay', Rock replied cheerily, 'sorry Lucas, but as you can see, Ike's stuck between that rubble, I'll be with you in a minute". The robot withdrew his hand and went to get poor Ike unstuck. "No! Dharkon won't wait', LL complained, 'you need to come with me, NOW!" "Lucas! Ike is in pain, you've gotta wait. Also, since when were you this pushy", Quinn scoffed as Ike climbed out.

"Thanks for that, Rock' Ike gave him a big hug, which the latter happily returned, 'I've been around the mansion looking for Marth, who I was sure escaped Crow's initial kidnapping, and I was attacked by him. We fought for a while before I lost, though not by much. Once I pulled myself up, I continued searching, which brought me in here. I found one of the assist trophies, Zero, who looked pretty beaten up, probably was in a fight with someone, Crow, Kamui? I dunno. I went over to help him, but he immediately turned hostile, throwing me into something. I heard a couple of screams, and Zero dashed through the wall into where the assist trophies live, which is where that big hole came from',

Ike pointed at a giant, incredibly obvious hole in the wall, leading into what seemed to be a disheveled assist trophy quarters, 'I heard some screaming, and I went to get up and help them, but I got my leg wedged between all this rubble. About 20 minutes later, you all arrived. And that's pretty much it."

Concerned, Elliot peered through the hole, only to see mounds of chipped bricks on the once-pristine area. With Ike out of trouble, LL took Rock's hand and began to violently drag him toward the hole. "Dharkon is possessing Zero, Mega Man. He went this way, and you need to help me find him", the former complained furiously. Rock yanked his hand away, slightly miffed at how little Lucas seemed to care about the others.

Then, Sunny had enough: "Galeem, what the shell?" (music stops)

"Wait, Galeem?" Quinn immediately asked. Heads whipped towards LL, who went burgundy in the face, made extraordinarily palpable by his pale colorless complexion. "Also, is no one going to point out that Zero is Dharkon now?! I mean, the appearance kind of gave Lucas away" Toon Link exasperatedly blurted out, Sparky joining in. "Well, Crow's power did change the appearance and mentality of some people, namely R.O.B and Game and Watch, so I thought that was the case here, and I guess you all did too", Ike chimed in.

Enraged, LL dove at Sunny, only to be stopped dead in his tracks by Red's Ivysaur, who grabbed him with Vine Whip. "You had no reason to say that, girl', LL shrieked, flailing about in Ivysaur's grasp, 'I never liked you when you were in my clutches, ink-stain. Why don't you do us all a favor: calm down, shut up, and jump into Octo Canyon, Squidling!"

...

The whole room went silent for a solid minute, everyone trying to process what Lucas, or rather Galeem, had just screamed at Sunny. LL finally managed to wriggle out of Ivysaur's grip, so he made a run for the hole that Dark Zero had made, and nobody stopped him.

Once he left, Sunny broke down in tears, prompting Rock to go over and comfort her. He gave her a hug, sitting in silence as the tears flowed down Sunny's normally cheerful face; she desperately tried to talk through her violent sobs. Ike looked murderous, and so did Sparky. They started toward the hole, but Toon Link quickly told them, "Dharkon's really strong, and we may have the numbers advantage, but I doubt that we'll be enough to take him out." "Fair point, Toon Link. Fair point", Ike agreed. Once Sunny had calmed down a little, Rock opted to carry her on his shoulders, to which she gladly agreed.

**(Music Choice: Crystal King Boss Theme- Paper Mario N64) **

"Alright', Rock got everyone's attention as Sunny pulled herself onto him, 'I think I have a plan from here on out, but if anyone has any adjustments I should make, please, don't hesitate to speak up: Crow's still at large, but compared to the likes of Galeem and Dharkon, he's a much more bearable opponent, especially since, if I remember my library research correctly, the Infinity Tome's power isn't limitless. I say we go and free all the prisoners from the dungeons in the boiler room, that way we'll have a sizable army to take on Crow, Dharkon, and Galeem."

"Okay, I like that', Quinn chipped in, 'but what about the countless clones of Game and Watch and R.O.B? There are… 1, 2, 3… 7 of us, but there very well could be millions of them. And Game and Watch has Judge 9. Any ideas on how we could get past that? Not to mention Kamui. She'll be leading those armies, and we know she doesn't play fair."

"Good point' Rock realized, 'I'll-" "I've got it!', Toon Link interrupted joyfully, 'what if we attempt to out-speed them. Kamui, R.O.B, and Game and Watch are relatively slow, so if we can out-speed them, we could, in concept, easily get the upper hand."

"Great idea', Elliot piped up, 'but what about Crow. No one knows where he is. And if he shows up, we could be in trouble". 'We could go look for him, and I know Robin was easily distracted, so we could to that too', Red signed, gesturing toward Sunny, 'I bet she and my three Pokémon could keep Crow at bay for a while. And I bet Ike will have little trouble beating Kamui'. "Yeah! Thanks for pointing that out, you guys', Rock smiled warmly, bending down to pat Toon Link on the head, then high-fiving Elliot, Quinn, and Red, 'alright, everyone, let's establish roles, and put this plan into motion!"

**(Music Choice: Out of Time [Remix] Castlevania)**

Thirty minutes later, Ike leaned into his walkie-talkie, watched Sunny and Red pass, Crow in tow, and whispered, "Alright, Mega Man, I'm in position. I'll leave nothing but cinders in my wake". "Good, now get ready, Ike', came the Blue Metal Hero's voice from over the miniature phone, 'Phase Two is in motion, Sunny and Red are battling Crow, and Toon's already got Kamui heading your way".

By the luck of the gods, Phase 1 of Mega Man's rescue plan had gone over quite smoothly. Toon Link had managed to steal Omega Yato from Kamui, getting her away from her post to chase him, and letting Elliot and Quinn slip into the dungeon.

Ike, and subsequently Toonie, were now tasked with fighting Kamui to buy those two as much time as possible, while Sunny and Red did the same thing, but with Crow.

Ike waited patiently, crouched like a tiger, waiting for the perfect chance to strike. Then, Toon Link rounded the corner, covered in bruises, and Omega Yato in hand. "She beat me up when I got close', he whispered as he got behind Ike, 'she shouldn't be far".

Toon Link wasn't wrong; disheveled and dirty, Kamui charged up the hallway like a mad bull, screaming racist Hylian slurs. Toon Link shuddered at the volume of which she was shrieking those obscenities, prompting Ike to plug the young Hylian's pointy ears momentarily. Kamui bolted in front of Ike and realized a little too late what their plan was. Ike charged forward and nailed Kamui in the jaw with the hilt of Ragnell, knocking her out cold with a single blow.

The young Wind-Waking Warrior and The Radiant Hero of Legend stared upon the fallen princess in shock. "Well, that was easier than expected", Ike commented, sound beginning to crackle from his walkie-talkie. "Ike? Ike, come in', Quinn's voiced sputtered from the small speaker, 'how's the fight with Kamui going?"

"Actually, we're already done. Kamui went down in one fell strike from Ragnell, and not even the blade. You and Elliot are good to go. Oh, and Toon Link's fine. See you two soon." Ike put his walkie-talkie down as someone's hand tapped him on the shoulder, and he turned to see a small blue box labeled, P.E.T in their other hand.

Meanwhile, in the boiler-works of Smash Bros, Quinn and Elliot slipped behind a series of pipes, firing arrows and magic spells at the few remaining guards as Quinn finished his call with Ike. "That's great! Make sure to tell Rock so he can adjust the plan, and make sure to get her outta here so Crow doesn't immediately know she's missing. Bye!"

**(Music Choice: Fighting Spirits- DRAGON QUEST III) **

"So', Elliot prompted, 'how much time do we have?" "All the time in the world', Quinn smirked as he clicked a button and turned off the walkie-talkie, 'Ike made much quicker work of Kamui than he thought, so we can take our time getting all the prisoners to safety".

Smiling brighter than he had in hours, Elliot followed Quinn as they went down a flight of stairs into a long hallway littered with shreds of paper and metal. Lyn, one of the assist trophies that survived Crow's attack, took one look at the new arrivals and nearly jumped for joy. She was about to say something but was rudely interrupted.

"Hero! Dark Pit! Waluigi is **so** glad you're here', Waluigi of all people joyfully shouted, making Quinn cringe a little, 'the control center for the cages is in the back. Just click the big red button". Elliot stopped for a moment, questioning whether his exclamation was true or not, but Quinn had already reached the button and lifted his hand up to press it. Then he noticed Elliot, with a very concerned look about him, shuffling uncomfortably toward him.

"Elliot, what're you waiting for?' he asked, stepping back, 'we need to free them. It's part of the plan". "Yeah, I get that', the eleventh Hero stuttered, 'I just got nervous because, you know, big red buttons are usually a bad thing."

Quinn nodded and looked back at the board, realizing Waluigi's mistake: he had mistaken the button to free the prisoners for the one to lock down the cells. "Oh! That could've ended badly", he grimaced, pressing a multitude of switches to set all the prisoners free; once they were, Waluigi and Hammer Bro stormed up to their saviors, nasty smirks on their faces.

(music stops) "Could you two have moved ANY slower?!' Luigi's rival promptly complained, jabbing an accusing finger at Elliot, 'if Waluigi was free, he would've been done hours ago!"

"Yeah!' Hammer Bro chimed in with a snarky attitude, 'Waluigi should've saved us. Maybe you AREN'T so powerful and annoying after all, huh, Hero? Stealing our savior Waluigi's roster spot with your 8 songs and stupid stage wasn't enough for you, was it? And maybe a clone shouldn't be here either. Man, Crow could've killed so many more people, and he left a clone and an abomination alive? Hah!"

Quinn looked ready to tear Hammer Bro apart, limb from limb; in fact, it took Incineroar and King Dedede to hold him back. But Elliot looked stunned, and very hurt. The teasing, no, harassment that came from toxic users that didn't want another sword fighters was horrendous to the point of death threats.

Then again, it wasn't like Elliot could control what he looked like or what moves Master Hand told him and the other Heroes to use.

The horrible things that the Heroes had read from other people were spread over them, but what most people didn't realize was that Elliot had received the worst of it. He would've been in a very dark place if Ethan, his best friend, hadn't given him the name Elliot instead of the generic Eleven.

Speaking of heroes, one of them was Solo, who was indeed alive (unlike Ewalu, f in the chat for Ewalu), had previously been imprisoned, and had had it up to here with Waluigi's crap.

"You wanna **run that by me again**?" Solo screamed, drawing the room to silence as everyone's attention was drawn to the turquoise half-Zenithian warrior. Carving a path through the crowd, Solo stomped through and grabbed both perpetrators by the collar.

"Alright, wazzocks, listen the **heck** up", he barked loudly, making Elliot jump a little, despite not being in the line of fire

(Music Choice: Dracula's Castle- Castlevania: Symphony of the Night) 

"Elliot and Quinn saved your lives, along with mine, and that of everyone else in this room. You do **not** talk down to anyone, like that, let alone a hero', if looks could kill, Waluigi and Hammer Bro would've been long since dead. Elliot sat down, still weak in the knees and stomach from Hammer Bro's comment, 'Last time I checked, all you two do is make people's lives harder for your own amusement and complain about things that most people could only **dream** of getting to experience. And yet you have the **audacity** to demand other people's respect through insults and threats like a freaking dictator".

Solo's grip grew tighter, and Waluigi began to realize that maybe insulting a legendary hero who's slain gods isn't the best idea if you don't have a death wish. Solo continued, "Heed my warning, vile cullions. You **dare** put down Elliot again, you answer to **me**. And if that happens, the time you have will **not** be pleasant. Good. **Day**."

Solo dropped the two assist trophies on the last emphasized syllable, turned around, and bent down to look a sitting Elliot in the eye, saying in a calm, dignified voice, "Elliot, listen', Solo pulled him to his feet quickly, '**You** saved your world, while some of these people can only hope that someone will save them. **You** were the Hero that got us the roster spot. **You** earned the title of Erdrick in one of the greatest final battles I've ever see; Mordegon is stupid to not fear you. And damn it, don't let these ignoramuses tell **you** any different, Luminary', Solo drew Elliot in for a hug, prompting the Luminary to hug back, '**You** are a Hero".

Silence hung in the air for a few moments before, to Solo's surprise, applause erupted in the hallway, drowning out Waluigi's resumed griping. Heck, Rodin shed a tear, before taking it back as Joker approached him.

Quinn, who had calmed down a bit, chuckled, "Wow, Solo, just wow. That was amazing. I gotta give you props for that." "Quinn? Are you there? Are you all okay?" a small voice came from the side of Quinn's chiffon. "Oh! Right, yeah Rock?" he responded, picking up his walkie-talkie, "I hacked into the cameras and saw you all get out. Also, Solo, I'm incredibly impressed! You've got a way with words! But you all have to get to the surface. Sunny and Red can only hold Crow off for so long." "Got it!' Elliot smiled brightly, 'we'll be there shortly. Ahem, **everyone**!' he screamed at the crowd, making heads turn, 'let's blow this popsicle stand. We've got an overlord to defeat!"

**(Music Choice: Green Greens for 3DS/Wii U)**

All the captured characters bolted for the stairwell, down the hallway, and burst out the door, taking out any remaining guards in their path. In the meantime, Rosalina and Elliot went back to get the children smashers that were held separate to the rest of the detainees.

"Ms. Rosalina! You came! And Ethan, Elliot's here!" Ness cried joyously, attracting the attention of his friends. Ethan's face lit up, and once the cage door came crashing to the ground, the villager ran into the hero's arms.

While the other children whooped and hollered as they ran around, free as birds, the hero known as Erdrick remained quiet, as he always had. He had been shanghaied by Ness into forming a mock-Sensible Squad called the Children's Coalition, along with Young Link, Leah, Sonic, Pit, Leaf, and Jayvee.

While the other group members were celebrating, he was very content with keeping to himself. "Everyone', Rosalina called out, 'make your way to the exit. Elliot will show you the way." All but Erdrick followed Elliot out of the room like excited puppies going on their first walk, and Rosalina turned to look at the former, fidgeting with his odd little helm.

"Erdrick, dear, do you want me to help with that?" she asked kindly, approaching Erdrick slowly. "No thank you, your Highness', he coughed, shoving a couple of stray hairs under the steel circlet, 'I'm alright". Rosalina knew that wasn't true; though Erdrick could not tell, a bit of familiar, other-universally energy dripped discreetly from Erdrick like a leaky faucet.

He quickly followed Rosalina into the main foyer, where Mega Man and Sparky were waiting with the rest of the survivors. Rock hopped up onto a stack of boxes, Sparky clinging to his helmet. "Everyone! You won't believe how happy we are that you all are safe!' he cried joyously, 'with all of us here, I'm sure Crow won't be too much of an issue.' A couple of giggles arose from the crowd, 'But, I'm sure that by one mean or another, you know that Galeem and Dharkon have returned, this time in the bodies of Lucas and Zero. I want you all to know that once we defeat Crow, we will go find and save them. Sunny and Red should be back any moment with Crow's status".

It wasn't five minutes of peace and quiet before Sunny and Red, atop the latter's Charizard, swooped in. "Rock, Crow's down', Sunny cried, creating a rift of gasps across the crowd, 'Crow took the fight outside, and we really got beaten around, but honestly, it was fun. Red's Charizard here went in for the knockout blow, but Zero struck Crow right out of the air. Lucas charged in and hit Zero with a monstrous PK Fire, barely missing us. We retreated for now, but they're really brawling out there, and-"

"Wait!" a small, female voice rang.

As if on cue, E.X.E and Axl, still holding Ashley, raced in, battered and beaten. They were followed by X, Geo Stellar, Volnutt, Blues, Bass, Fox McCloud, Ike, Toon Link, and to everyone's surprise, Lan Hikari, with his blue P.E.T in hand. "Blues! Bass!" Mega Man cheered, pumping his fist in the air.

Fox filled them in on what had happened to Axl, Ashley, and Hub: They had been chased by Dark Zero out of the assist trophy quarters, when all of a sudden, a small white thing, _LL_, landed in front of him. Dark Zero completely forgot the others existed and focused on beating the small white thing.

They used this opportunity to escape and meet up with the other Mega People, who had been fixed by Fox and had called E.X.E's operator, Lan Hikari, for his technical prowess and knowledge on E.X.E.

Lan had seen Toon Link running with Kamui's sword, so he followed him to Ike, who lead them here. "We kinda got lost along the way. This place is much bigger than I originally thought", Lan giggled, giving Hub a hug. Murmurs rang through the crowd; a plan of attack was being discussed among angry individuals who wanted their friends back.

Mega Man turned to the carnage outside, and a smirk crawled onto his face like a centipede. "Is everybody here? And do we all know what to do?' he asked.

Weapons were raised into the air in response. Rock jumped off the boxes and threw the doors open with all his strength. "Everyone, let's roll!" The Smashers, assist trophies, and cameo characters thundered out the door as the second battle of light versus dark waged on before them.

-End of Chapter

I really hope you all had fun with that. It took me a really long time, and I hope it was good. Also, 2 things: 1) please leave a comment. I love reading your comments! 2) I hope you all are doing well down there in quarantine. Next chapter will be out in time. Buh-bye! Angel is out!


	10. Chapter 9: Infinite Hope

Okay, when I say this chapter took an absolute eternity, I mean it this time! But I assure you, this is some of the best I've ever done, and I hope you enjoy the final chapter of Game Over, Infinite Hope. Thanks to SquidBaggerOfWoomyandNgyesness for the idea (for both the story, and the final chapter name). Please, have a blast!

(—)

**_Chapter 9: Part 1-_**

**_The Final Battle_**

**(Music Choice: Road to Bowser- Super Mario Galaxy 2)**

"Stand down while you still can, Dharkon! Lucas's psychic powers are unmatched; even in Zero's body, you have no chance."

"Give it up, Galeem. You chose a little boy with a stick and a rubber snake. I have a robotic warrior with weapons beyond your wildest dreams. I will chop that little twit's head off his shoulders!"

As Robin laid unconscious off to the side, Dark Zero and Light Lucas clashed in epic fashion. Mega Man's little army watched from afar. "Look at them go', Solo murmured to Rock, 'should I get my wings ready?" "Not yet', Rock responded, 'but you'll need them eventually".

Ness and Ashley dashed to the forefront and gazed in horror at what their closest friends had been turned into. "How are we going to save them, you guys?" Ness asked sheepishly, turning to Bayonetta.

A spark flickered in Rock's eyes, and Tabuu spoke up, his voice ringing through the former's head. "Now's the time, my boy', the deep voice of Tabuu chuckled, 'tell your troops their orders." Rock turned to his battalion and hollered, "Everybody, spread out! Let's take down Galeem and Dharkon once more! Let's get our friends back!"

Solo flinched a little, then everyone raced away in groups ranging from two to five, each one having their own little plan and part to play. Most people charged at Dark Zero, attempting to get rid of the fact that Zero was must faster than the vast majority of them; others stayed in the back, acting as supports for their friends.

There were very few fighters that laid their eyes on Light Lucas; after all, Zero was a much bigger threat That being said, Light Lucas noticed Mega Man talking with Toon Link briefly before sending the former with Jayvee and approached him. "Dearest Mega Man', she shouted as Ness ran up to join his robotic friend, 'please, use your untainted, kind heart and aid me in Dharkon's destruction. I will return Lucas once we finish".

"Galeem, after what you said to Sunny back in the mess hall, I'm not sure I want to trust you", Rock stated confidently. "But if you don't, Zero will be gone forever, and-" "Get. Out. Of. My. Head… NOW!" came a tiny voice from inside LL's mind. Inside her mind, Galeem approached a very distraught Lucas, who looked like he was about to throw hands with the nearest villain.

"How could you say that to Sunny?!' he screamed, kicking against the barrier of light that kept him from his own mind, 'You call yourself the embodiment of all things good, and yet you called Sunny those horrible things. Get… OUT!"

"Lucas!' Galeem barked sharply before softening her tone again, 'none of that matters anymore." "What?!' Lucas babbled, frightened and disoriented, 'what do you mean?" "I have made the executive decision to take your body for good', Galeem stated coldly, 'look at it this way: No more worries, no more demands, nothing to hurt or corrupt you. You'll be happily asleep inside your mind forever, and I'll continue to protect you here. I'm doing this for your own good, Lucas."

"No, no, NO!' the young boy screamed, his voice cracking like a cheap crayon, 'you just want to use me to rid this world of anything less than your twisted definition of perfect! Let me go!"

"Calm down. I know what's best for you, dear. Once I'm finished here, I'll take over for good. And do not fret, Mega Man will join you in due time. Sit tight if you please".

Lucas, completely aghast, felt tears well up in his eyes. His eyes on the outside copied the actions of their true master.

Speaking of which, Ness noticed that.

"Ness, Lucas seems to be fighting quite the battle in there', Rock pointed out, 'Call out to him; I have a feeling that he might answer." "Alright, good thinking', Ness thought aloud, before using his telepathic abilities, 'here it goes… Lucas! Are you in there? It's me, Ness!" Ness's voice rang through Lucas's head like a church bell. "Ness!" Lucas mentally responded.

"Yes!', Ness squealed in joy, 'Alright, Lucas, do you know how I can help you get out?" "You may have to defeat Galeem for that to happen', Lucas answered, 'she could-"

"Enough!' Galeem erupted, interrupting Lucas's explanation, 'you could very well try, Ness, but I will win!" "I'll go help Solo get off the ground. He has wings now', Rock chipped in, 'you've got this?" "I've got this!" Ness cheerfully, confidently shouted. Mega Man tucked some stray hairs under Ness's signature baseball cap and took off to help get Geo Stellar out of a ditch.

"Alright, Galeem. It's just you and me', Ness announced, 'Lucas does not belong to you, and if I have to beat Lucas's face in to get the real thing back in his own body, I'll do that! PK Fire!" A scarlet lightning bolt zipped out of Ness's finger like a bullet, startling Galeem.

Annoyed, she raised her hands to the sky and yelled, "PSI Defense UP!" Ness could feel Galeem's defense increase to much more than PSI Defense Up should have allowed. He grimaced.

'With Lucas's powers, Galeem may not be as big or imposing', Ness pondered, aiming a PK Thunder at Lucas's head, 'but Lucas is a formidable opponent, nonetheless. I've got to end this battle quickly; Zero is a much scarier opponent than Lucas, and he could- and there goes Erdrick'.

Interrupting Ness's train of thought, Galeem launched PK Love at the speed of sound, and Erdrick, who probably got hurled by Dark Zero, flew by and barely missed his head. Thankfully, the ninth Dragon Quest hero, (let's call him Justin), caught Erdrick before he hit the ground, to Elliot's relief. Turning his attention back to Light Lucas, PK Rockin' came to mind. 'I really hope this works', Ness thought quickly, aiming two fingers at Light Lucas's face, "PK Rockin'!"

Sound waves flew, catching Ness's opponent off-guard, despite the former's shouting. Light Lucas tumbled a few feet back, yelping in pain and shock. Inside his head, Lucas noticed Galeem charging some kind of magic, sealing magic, and immediately started to panic.

Ness went in for another strike, this time from his baseball bat, when a thunderous, perceptibly alarmed, "Ness!" rang through his mind like an alarm clock. Ness could clearly tell that something wasn't right. 'Lucas, what's up? What's the matter?' the black-haired boy telepathically asked. 'Ness! I'm scared! Galeem is going to take my mind forever and hurt everyone with my powers, and I'm trying, Ness, I really am, but nothing's working!', Lucas was on the edge of crying, and Ness could do little to calm his blond friend, 'Help. Please!" Ness pondered for a moment, then realized something he should have tried from the very beginning.

**(Music stops, sort of) **

The shouts and cries of his friends and comrades faded into the background, and Ness approached Light Lucas slowly. He took his buddy's arm, which stopped moving on contact, cleared his throat, and began to sing:

"Take a melody, simple as can be".

He paused for a moment, then heard a reply from Lucas, 'Give it some words, and, sweet harmony'.

"Lucas, what are you doing?" Galeem asked sternly, beginning to catch on to Ness's little plan as she charged her sealing magic. "Raise your voices", Ness continued, followed by Lucas, "All day long now, love so strong now".

"Lucas, stop this tomfoolery this instant!" Galeem was starting to get annoyed at Lucas's strong disliking of her ways. 'Galeem, shut up. Life without darkness isn't fun, just like life without life isn't either', Ness attempted to convince her otherwise, 'I'm going to give you one last chance: let Lucas go willingly, or I will free him by force".

Snarling, Galeem tried to move her body to throw Ness off, only to not do so. "What?! What did you do to my powers? Ness!" Galeem screamed. The two boys snickered slightly before finishing the song, "Sing a melody of love. Oh, love".

Galeem felt her power slowly draining away, and the light barrier that kept Lucas trapped in his head dissipated as well. Galeem screamed in terror, but it was no use; with full control of his body once more, Lucas let out tremendous amounts of power from his fingertips, releasing Galeem into the air.

Without Lucas's PSI to keep her sealing spell or her own being alive, she disintegrated, never to be seen again, Ashes fell like snowflakes as the features that made Lucas look more holy slowly drained out of him, returning his skin, clothes, and hair to their normality.

With happy, teary eyes, Lucas looked Ness in the face once again and cried quietly, "Thank you, old friend", before throwing himself into the black-haired boy's arms, sharing a long, comforting bro-hug.

Mega Man glanced over at Ness while helping Solo get back into the air and smiled brightly. "Solo, good news!' he cheerfully smirked, pointing at the two psychic boys, 'one down, one to go!"

Solo smiled as well as he was raised back up into the air to continue the fight.

Meanwhile, the remaining assist trophies weren't having too much luck taking down Dark Zero. "He calls you all comrades?! Zero could easily kill you all!" Dharkon sneered, poking a Thunder God Attack straight at Gray Fox, only missing by an inch, spearing Marth's cape.

**(Music Choice: X vs. Zero- Mega Man X5) **

Ashley, off on the sidelines, was in absolute shock at the state of her brother; Zero, the poised, pragmatic, persistent Maverick Hunter that Ashley had looked up to for a long time now, was now a ferocious, crazy freak, heck-bent on drowning the world in a never-ending veil of gloom and suffering.

No, not Zero, Dharkon.

Terrified on the inside, Ashley cast yet another healing spell on yet another fighter. 'Zero, I swear on my life, I will find a way to break you out of your mind… mind?' Ashley suddenly had an epiphany, 'mind… spell? Wait! A Mind Hack spell! Of course!'

The young mage wracked her brain for the spell, which wasn't too hard. If there was one thing Ashley didn't want, it was for someone to fall under a villain's control and not have a way out. She found a Mind Hack spell in one of her accursed mother's old, tattered spell books, and thanks to Lyn's motivational tactics, Ashley practiced it quite frequently.

This was usually done on bugs she found, or one of Waluigi's cult members.

Briefly taking a trip down memory lane, she remembered walking out of the assist trophy quarters to see a very miffed Little X talking to Waluigi about not bashing someone that was behind the door to a broom closet.

Three of Waluigi's followers were there, banging on the door like it was a bass drum. Knowing that her own ears were quite sensitive to noise like that, Ashley cast a Mind Hack spell on the cult members, telling them to walk back to their base.

All three group members did so, and the last thing she remembered was that the guy behind the door was some hero, the one with teal hair (Ashley was never good with names [then again, neither was Zero]).

'Alright, big brother. Hang tight', Ashley thought excitedly, 'I'll get you out of there'. Taking a deep breath, she held her wand to her forehead and whispered, "Saginantur sapiunt! Zero!"

In the depths of his mind, the real Zero's conscience laid there in a comatose state. Black and purple metal chains bound his wrists and ankles to the floor of a dark cage as Dharkon forced his body to fight a fierce battle.

After he had tried to escape Dharkon's grasp during Dark Zero's battle with MegaMan.E.X.E, the dark god had cast him into an even deeper portion of his mind, threatening to try and seal him off for good. Knowing he couldn't emotionally do that to his little sister, Zero reluctantly complied. As he had slipped down, he crossed his fingers, praying to any god or goddess that would pay attention that he would receive a second chance.

Thankfully, some goddess, probably Auntie Palutena or Vivi, was listening.

"Zero?" a small voice rang out in the darkness, causing the young man to stir slightly. "Zero! Can you hear me?" the voice was louder this time, and Zero definitively woke up. "Hm? Who's there?" Zero spluttered slightly, spewing some accumulated dust off his lips. "Zero! It's me, Ashley! I'm gonna help you!" Ashley exclaimed; the chains on Zero's wrists were beginning to wither away, crumbling to red dust ever so slowly. "This'll take a bit, but I promise, I'll set you free, big brother."

Zero smiled warmly; he may not have been able to see her, but he knew his little sister was there. On the outside, it seemed as if Dharkon had yet to notice Ashley's plan, much to her relief.

That being said, a battered up Kamui shuffled onto the field, griping and moaning, as per usual. "Ugh! How could our plan fail?!' she scoffed, staring at Lucas and Ness hugging, 'that's it. I'll stop this! Crow!" Completely oblivious to the carnage around her, Kamui shuffled about the battleground, complaining at everyone for ruining her fun when she was about to get all the praise that she 'truly deserved'.

Byleth and Bella, female Byleth, took notice, and they weren't very happy about all their newfound friends disappearing; Kamui's endless fuss-making did not help this fact in the slightest. "Hey!' Bella shouted, 'female Corrin!" Kamui turned to look at an emotionless Byleth and a miffed Bella, both of which had tattered clothes and were approaching her at an alarming pace. Kamui looked at the state that their clothes were in, and snidely remarked, "Your clothes are such a-"

"No, not now, m'lady', Byleth barked, making Kamui flinch, 'all you do is whine and gripe about everything that doesn't live up to your unreasonably high expectations. It's a wonder the blue metal child doesn't hate you because you fully deserve it. Now, if you'll excuse us, we've wasted enough time on you; Failnaught has a place it needs to be aimed at. You had better be grateful that the target isn't you".

As if on cue, Bella drew Areadbhar and charged into the fray, going for Dark Zero at the center. Byleth gave a disgruntled huff in Kamui's general direction, drew Failnaught, and followed Bella.

Kamui huffed in disappointment sat down and watched the chaos unfold, hoping something would go wrong.

**(Music Choice: Marx Boss Theme- Smash Bros Ultimate) **

At this point, Ashley had waned away all of the chains that had bound Zero in his head and was ready to chase Dharkon out and take his mind back. A red hologram of Ashley appeared in front of Zero.

"I can't actually see you, but my little puppet here will help you out, to some degree. I bet you can do quite a bit of this yourself", Ashley chuckled as the clone pulled her wand out. Once she finished, Dharkon immediately realized that the jig was up. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me', he moaned, turning to face the two red assist trophies, 'why must you be so difficult, Zero?"

"Because you broke the promise we made', the reploid explained crossly, 'you said you would hurt no one. And yet, here you are, bringing harm to everyone I've _somehow_ managed to befriend. And there's not sign of Tabuu, is there?"

Dharkon huffed quietly, turning to look at the glistening crimson clone of Ashley standing to Zero's right, slightly obscured by the latter's boot. "What the- Ashley?!" Dharkon scowled.

"You had better know my name!' she smirked, pointing her wand in the general direction of the enemy's forehead, 'now, if you'll excuse me… Tenebris Victamque Victricemque!" Several light balls no larger than tennis balls popped out of Ashley's wand, going straight for Dharkon.

"Oh, you have got to be… ACK!" he whooped. The light balls seared Dharkon's skin like an egg on a frying pan, much to Zero's amusement.

On the outside, Dark Zero's attacks had begun to falter ever so slightly, just enough that Elliot took notice. 'Dark Zero's moves. They look sloppier than what Rock had mentioned to me', he thought, blocking an incoming strike from the Quake Blazer.

Dharkon was now dealing with light balls that threatened to burn him from the inside out, on top of controlling Zero's body; this was making Ashley start to die laughing while the siblings watched the chaos ensue.

Enraged, Dharkon, while poorly defending himself, turned to the two red assist trophies and screamed whilst swatting at the fading orbs, "You two will now get away with -OW- this! I will -OW- have your heads!"

"Try me!' Ashley playfully challenged the dark god, 'my big brother has beaten dozens of killer Mavericks. He can beat you too, darkie!" "Forget this! Kill! Kill them all!" Dharkon screeched. With fire in his eyes, Dharkon made Dark Zero go into a yandere-style rampage, stabbing at anything that so much as breathed at him.

The light balls went away shortly afterwards; Zero went to attack, only to be blasted back by more of Dharkon's magic, casting out Ashley's mind clone. Ashley snapped out of her spell, looked confidently at the fray, and knew that her brother would find a way back into consciousness.

Lyn and the other assist trophies had begun to back away; Dark Zero's attacks were becoming wilder, more deranged, like a psychopath. No one found this funny, except for Dharkon. In fact, he had begun to laugh at his quarries' pain; the more time that passed, the louder the giggle became, until Dark Zero was cackling at his beaten, bruised victims.

The others stood in shock as they watched him turn his high-pitched shrieks of amusement to the sky. X, Zero's best friend, with incredible reluctance, muttered, "I'm sorry, Zero; this ends here".

He looked at Black Knight with his powerful emerald eyes, and asked, "Black Knight, may I use your sword to end this?" Faltering momentarily, Black Knight complied. Raising Alondite high above his head, X charged at his corrupted friend; Dharkon could see it coming from a mile away.

Dark Zero turned to blindside his opponent, and the unthinkable happened: inside his mind, in a last-ditch attempt to save those he cared about, Zero dashed forward, and in one clean stroke, speared his saber through Dharkon's wicked heart. Letting out a panicked, stifled gasp, the dark god whispered, "I'm not finished yet. I'll be back, Maveri-"

**(Music Choice: Blue Skies and a Battle- Fire Emblem Three Houses) **

Zero was suddenly shot back into consciousness, just in time for X to dash in for a strike. With no time left to move, Zero's pupils dilated in fear, and his equivalent to blood ran like an icy river as he felt the backend of Alondite crash into his side like a freight train, launching him back by no less than 30 feet.

X's artificial heart skipped a couple beats; he backed away, fully aware of the mistake he made, cupping his hand over his mouth. The assist trophies gasped in shock; without warning, Dharkon suddenly warped into the air, then exploded into a million little pieces.

To Ashley's ever growing relief, Zero's colors returned to normal, too; his black ponytail faded back to blond and became neat (to an extent) again, the sharper points on his body rounded out, and the red streaks in his hair exploded back into his armor. While unnoticed at first, his eyes returned to a soft cerulean, and his Z-Saber ran like a messy blue river once more.

But the most notable repercussion was the silver band, which was now replaced by a gaping hole, right where Waluigi and one of Crow's spears had struck him.

Lucas and Ness, followed by the vast majority of the Smashers, assist trophies, and Final Smash cameo characters, approached the struck-down Zero with an err of caution about them, unsure of what might happen.

Ashley and X were faster. They bolted over to him faster than most people thought was possible for a 9-year-old in a dress and a 15-year-old in a suit of armor.

"Zero? You okay?" Ashley asked, far more casually than X expected. He was about to point that out when Zero let out a small grunt and pulled himself to his knees tenderly.

Looking his little sister and best friend in the eye, Zero mumbled just loud enough for everyone to hear, "What did I tell you? I, no, we, made it work, sis. And X, thank you for that'.

Eyes full of hope, Ashley launched herself into Zero's arms, crying hysterically. Zero flinched suddenly and unexpectedly continued, 'But that doesn't mean I'm not hurt, please take your foot out of Waluigi's sword hole, ow."

Ashley moved her foot, and X helped his colleague to his feet, quietly apologizing for the blow.

**(Music Choice: An Ending- Undertale)**

Rock looked on kindly at his friend and his sibling, before realizing that a certain someone was missing. He turned around to see Robin, battered and slightly bloody, clutching the Infinity Tome to his chest.

Remorseful, Rock approached him. "Robin', he sorrowfully pipped up, 'are you doing okay?" "Go away!' Robin shouted in response, 'I don't deserve forgiveness, let alone yours".

Mega Man flinched at the shouting, but ultimately, sat down beside Robin. "I can tell', the young robot set his hand on Robin's knee gently as he spoke, 'your not just hurting because of what you've done. There's something else wrong. Trust me, I am listening. I want to help in any way I can."

Mega Man may have been a powerful fighter, but he had a way with sympathetic words that was surpassed by very few.

Silence lingered in the air like perfume, then Robin broke it. "Mega Man, why? Why are you so kind, and friendly, and sweet?! How come everyone here adores you, and no user complains about you not deserving your roster spot, or your gender, or your appearance, or your weapon choice?! Why don't you just kill me now', Robin choked on the last sentence, his voice beginning to crack, 'I hate myself! For everything I've done, and what Kamui talked me into doing! I don't want to be this way, but I am… I sound really petty, don't I?"

Rock sighed quietly, took a deep breath, and began to explain: "No, Robin, you don't. I can't lie, I don't know what it's like to be in your shoes. But I do know that your actions in the past lead you to take such drastic measures', Rock paused for a moment to take Robin's hand, 'I owe you an apology, too. I'm sorry for not being there when you were hurting. I bet I could've prevented this whole thing if I had paid attention."

Robin couldn't believe his ears; he thought, after this, everyone would have to respect him, even if it were through fear. And yet, here Mega Man was, talking to him kinder than anyone ever had prior with an almost parental tone of voice.

"You know, Rock', he wept quietly, 'back when Kamui put you to sleep. I, uh, felt kind of bad, and I ended up lessening the draught's effectiveness, so you woke up that night."

"That was you?' Rock smiled warmly, 'I knew it! I knew it was you, Robin, I just couldn't prove it!" Chuckling softly, Robin glanced down at the golden, crystal-laden tome in his lap. "This tome; I got it from Kamui. She told me that she got it from on of the assist trophies, and that everyone would have to obey me, revere me, if I used this to attack them. I listened; that's the biggest mistake I've made thus far."

"Well, while that's true', Mega Man continued with a quizzical look about him, 'you can still fix this. What can the Infinity Tome do?"

"Okay, well, it can let out crazy amounts of magic power, like nothing I've ever cast prior; absorbing and releasing soul-", Robin abruptly paused.

"Hold the presses, you have a plan, Robin?" Rock exclaimed. Without another word to Mega Man, Robin stood up, dusted his tattered robes, turned to the crowd, and suddenly hollered, "Attention, please!" The entire group that had been celebrating around Zero turned and almost immediately drew their weapons.

"Wait!' Robin cried, 'I… ahem, I owe everyone on this battlefield an apology for my actions', before continuing, Robin turned to his newfound blue friend, knelt down to his level, and gave him a hug, the first one he had given in a very long time, then stood back up and continued, 'It has finally been brought to my attention by someone with a truly pure heart, that my behavior these long few months has been absolutely barbaric, and I promise to change. I know that won't change much now but consider this my apology".

As Kamui screamed, "NO!" Robin raised the Infinity Tome high above his head and threw it to the ground. The fragile, unstable magic being knocked down in such a way caused the tome to implode, and thousands of brightly colored orbs exploded into the navy-blue sky like paint on a canvas.

**(Music Choice: Hikari [Orchestrated Version]- Kingdom Hearts I)**

The souls of friends, family, and otherwise all landed and reformed in front of everyone; the minute Corrin's feet hit the ground, he raced over to Marth and wrapped him in a tearful hug.

Kirby, Luigi, and Yoshi jumped into Mario's arms while Lucina heaved happy sobs into her father's chest.

The 9th and 10th Heroes, Justin and Andrew were talking in shaky sobs while the former was almost jumping because of how happy he was that his friend was back.

Joker's party shared a tearful moment as they were finally reunited, and a friendly face came into Rock's view. He looked at Robin, who promptly responded, "Go ahead. I've got my own friends to attend to". Taking the answer, Rock passed Ewalu, who was being hugged to death by Solo and the 2nd Dragon Quest Hero, Allen, before throwing himself into Samus's waiting arms.

"I- I'm so glad your back, Ms. Samus! You- you have no idea how much I missed you", Rock's voice began to quiver as Samus herself began crying. The two modern heroes sunk to their knees, sharing a tearful mother-son moment together that had been long since overdue.

Robin looked at everyone and mournfully sighed, until someone tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, Robin', Reflet smiled, Piranha Plant in her arms, 'I'm really happy that you destroyed that thing. I was really worried about what would happen to you, even if I never showed it. And… I forgive you, Robin".

The male Tactician Magician was at a loss for words, and his eyes lit up like stars in the night. "Well, come on! You certainly have a lot of apologizing to do, mister", Reflet giggled, grabbing Robin's waiting arm and handing him the Plant. She took off with him, shoving Plant into his arms; Robin was so joyful that he was finally free of the chains that Kamui had bound him in, even if Piranha Plant was now coiling around his arms like Kaa from the Jungle Book.

Along with everyone else that was released, Master Hand and Crazy Hand materialized into existence shortly afterward. "What in the worlds just happened?" Master Hand asked his brother, who was already twitching like the maniac he was. "I don't know, but I feel much better, Mr. Stark!" he cackled, floating back to the mansion.

Turning to look at the state the Smash Mansion was in, Master Hand sighed, snapped his fingers, and by magic, the mansion began to rebuild itself, piece by piece. Several people stopped to stare in awe at the mansion, covered in beautiful sparkles.

Robin meandered over to Master Hand with his new friend Piranha Plant. "Master Hand, I have something I need to say', he started, beckoning Master Hand's attention, 'I understand now. I've already destroyed the Infinity Tome. Due to its unstable nature it imploded; trust me, we're never seeing it again. But, even if it won't help, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything I've done to hurt Lucina, and Marth, and Corrin, and everyone else here. All I hope is that you can forgive me someday."

Taken aback by Robin's words, Master Hand 'nodded' and continued with the final touches on the mansion. Everyone else stood up and turned toward the mansion, some picking up their smaller friends, others holding hands, all started running toward the newly repaired mansion.

Lucas and Ness levitated all the way there, playing catch like they did back when the mansion was originally built after Tabuu had attacked it.

Ashley had passed out from all the action and was happily dreaming in her older brother's arms, while X walked alongside them, so happy to finally have his friend, his best friend, back.

And Robin, his arms completely wrapped up in Piranha Plant's vines, was happier than he had been in years.

Everything was good again.

(—)

**_Chapter 9: Part 2-_**

**_Ballad of Magic_**

As the starry night sky finally lost the last of its colored lights, and everyone was back, the mansion slowly swarmed with people, all tired and ready to hit the hay… every last one.

Ness took the Children's Coalition, finally joined by Sonic, and walked to a secluded room not too far from the mess hall. "Alright, you guys', he smiled, 'we start doing group things tomorrow. Night!"

Too tired to do anything else, all eight members crashed onto the cots, slipping into sleep less than 10 minutes later.

Sleep was peaceful to everyone in that room, with one sole exception.

**(Music Choice: Villains of a Sort- Kingdom Hearts I) **

Not 5 minutes after sleep had taken hold of him, Erdrick heard an all-too-familiar voice. "Hello there, my friend', it snickered quietly, 'how are you this evening?"

"No, no, no', Erdrick turned around and backed away, 'not today. I'm already exhausted, Goku. Why are you even here?! You haven't explained anything."

Goku paid no mind to Erdrick's fatigue, only teleporting closer. "You have something I want, Erdrick', Goku sneered, reaching his hand out for Erdrick to take it, 'give me back what is rightfully mine, and I will leave you be".

Confused, Erdrick shook his head, backing away further. "Suit yourself, hero boy", the Saiyan growled, curling his hand into a fist.

It may have been a dream, but the pain that erupted inside of the teenage hero was most certainly real; Erdrick's dream character crumpled to the imaginary floor, the pain behaving like an all-consuming fire. It seemed to eat him from the inside out, clawing at his insides like an angry bear.

It had no end.

It didn't stop.

In one final breath, the hero figuratively yelled, "NO!"

Erdrick woke up in a cold sweat; the pain had subsided for now, but he was still shaking like there was an earthquake. He glanced at the digital clock on his right, which read 12:03 a.m, way too early for this crud.

'I'll get some water and try to sleep some more. Hopefully Goku will leave me alone', he thought, sliding softly out of the cot.

Erdrick walked about 10 meters to the nearest water fountain, still fully clothed. 'Erdrick, can you hear me?' a feminine voice rang in his head like the many church bells he had heard throughout his life.

**(Music Choice: To the Gateway- Super Mario Galaxy) **

Still shaken from Goku's ominous message, Erdrick snapped to attention, attempting to draw his sword, only to learn that he took it off before he went to bed. 'I'm not Goku, Erdrick. But I have an explanation to these dreams you've been having. Come outside, and I will explain everything'.

Erdrick nodded, and started for the nearest door, following a trail of small, teal stars that started to lead the way.

He found himself at a small cliff overlooking what most people referred to as Rokku Canyon; this was the spot where Master Hand had revealed Mega Man, and for the record Bowser Jr, to the public.

That name...

Mega Man.

It made Erdrick sick, but he didn't want to feel that way. Wasn't Mega Man Elliot's friend? Wasn't Mega Man kind, and polite, and sweet? Didn't Mega Man give Robin forgiveness after everything he did?

Yes, it was all true.

But it made his head throb, thinking of going through that pain over and over and over!

As he patrolled the side of the canyon like a watchdog, he looked for the person that had lead him here; an explanation was most certainly due. A few minutes later, a small teleporting sound emerged from behind him.

A woman in a long blue-green dress appeared in a flurry of entrancing sparkles. Erdrick turned around, and calmly smiled at the sight of someone who wasn't Goku.

"Hello, Ms. Rosalina', he calmly greeted the Lumas' mother, 'how are you?" "Erdrick, Goku's interactions with you have finally been brought to my attention', Rosalina attempted to soothe the hero, who's face had already fallen once more, 'I know you felt his power pulse inside you earlier, and I watched your dream conversation."

"What do you have to do with this?' Erdrick enquired as politely as possible, 'I guess I have my own questions, too. Rosalina, why do I feel like Goku's going to use me to hurt someone? What in Yggdrasil's name does he want?"

Rosalina took a deep breath, and began to explain:

"Erdrick, when Goku was defeated by Tabuu last month, I followed him to where he had disappeared to, a place called Planet Invidia. I battled him there, and once I won, I used a very powerful spell to take more than half of Goku's true power; I took away several of his more frightening abilities, but the one I'm gladdest I took, was the capability to effectively rip someone's soul out of their body, and absorb it for more power', Rosalina shuddered at the thought of what could've occurred if she hadn't done what she had.

She felt terrible for Erdrick, but she had to. The goddess continued, 'He couldn't take anyone's soul, even if they offered it to him. This way, if Goku ever returned, he wouldn't be able to threaten Mega Man, and therefore, the Final Pure Soul would have one less this coming after it. But I needed some place to store that power and seeing as you are calm and poised (and the only one able to contain it) I sealed Goku's power inside your body when you were asleep, Erdrick'.

'You hold around 55% of it, but that 55% is the difference between him being able to absorb Mega Man's soul, and not. Erdrick, there is no way for you to access this power yourself; I made it this way. You already know that Goku will try everything imaginable to get his power back. He will hunt you down, Erdrick, both mentally and physically, and he will eventually succeed. I will help you prepare, but even I cannot hold off the inevitable forever."

Taken aback, Erdrick looked at his gloved hands, shuddering in fear at just what Goku could do with him. After a bit, he nodded. "I'll do my best, Ms. Rosalina', Erdrick replied, 'you can count on me to hold off Goku for as long as possible". Rosalina smiled warmly and gave Erdrick a much-needed hug.

"Now, head off to bed, dear', the princess ushered her friend along, 'heroes need their rest. I shall guard your dreams for the rest of the night". Content, Erdrick started back to the mansion, back to the cot, on foot.

'Goku', he thought, 'try as you might, your power will stay with me. Mark my words, you will never threaten Elliot's friends again, not on my watch'. Erdrick reached one of the many side doors on the mansion and slipped inside.

"Erdrick?' another voice perked up, 'is something the matter? Why are you up so late?"

The hero turned quickly to look into the bright, electronic eyes of Mega Man, who was wearing a pair of black athletic shorts and an oversized blue shirt that probably belonged to Samus at some point and time.

"Oh, nothing you need to worry about', Erdrick shuffled awkwardly, 'I just saw something outside and got concerned. What are you doing up so late yourself, Mega Man?"

"Oh, I just got finished getting Robin and Piranha Plant settled into their room; they're gonna room together until Master Hand can get another bed set up in the Fire Emblem room', the robot explained, cheerful as always despite how late it was, 'it may have taken a lot longer than I thought, but it was worth it. Also, I want to let you know, Erdrick: If you need to talk about something, I'm willing to listen. I made the mistake of not helping Robin, and I don't plan on making that mistake again, so if you need anything, call me".

Smiling kindly, Rock took Erdrick by the hand briefly, instating the fact that he always had a friend if he needed one. Erdrick gladly returned the smile and left a few moments later. "G'night!"

Rock ran off to his secluded room in the back of the mansion, and Erdrick took off again slowly. He felt Rosalina's magic begin to take effect, his mind clouding slightly.

'Alright, I'll get going', Erdrick thought, slowly approaching the room. The rest happened so fast that, before he knew it, he was fast asleep, dreams dancing through his head. It was over, finally over...

(—)

Thank you all so much for supporting me! Quarantine has given me a lot of time, so I'm glad I finally got this done. Please, stay safe, wash your hands, and do all that. I don't want to have to deal with anymore sickly souls up in Skyworld. As always, please leave a comment (reading comment is my favorite), and favorite. I'll see you all next time. Angel is out!


	11. Epilogue: The Lone Mage's Journal

Here it is, the final chapter of Game Over. This fic has been in development for over half a year now, and now that it's finally done, I feel really proud of myself. As such I do hope you enjoy this final chapter of Game Over.

(-)

**_Dear Diary, _**

_I'm writing this entry because Piranha Plant will not stop bugging me until I do it; but hey, that's his job, right? It's been two weeks since the mansion was rebuilt, and right now, I'm not allowed to use magic outside of matches until further notice; and to be completely truthful, that's how it should be. _

_Honestly, I don't know what I was thinking, doing all of those cruel things with Kamui; she and I had a falling out the other day, but Marth says it was for the best. Speaking of Fire Emblem, thanks to Reflet, my relationship to the rest of the Fire Emblem cast has improved drastically, despite all I've done in the past. My bed will be ready today, supposedly (and also finally), so I'm ready to let go of Piranha Plant, but he isn't so bad. I have dubbed him Snapp, short for Snapp Dragon; he seems to like it quite a bit. _

_On the topic of my redemption, Reflet spearheaded it for the most part, but I was surprised at how much the Dragon Quest Heroes pitched in to help me. You may think that there's only 4, but no, the ones that appear for a split second during their Final Smash are here too. I've grown fond of three in particular: Alef, the heroic, headstrong 1st hero, Abel, the quiet, sincere 5th hero, and Arus, the kind, energetic 7th hero. All three of them have been incredible to my redemption, but that doesn't mean the other heroes are any different. _

_And to think, just three weeks ago, I was making fun of them like a fool. _

_As for the rest of the roster, I'm slowly making amends. Mega Man kept his promise, and we've been meeting twice a week to talk about stuff over the greatest tea I've ever tasted in my life. He may be 10, but that child has a way with words, and food. _

_He's tried to do the same thing with Kamui, but she's far from willing, going so far as to try and convince me to act like her once again; thanks to Byleth, that's never going to happen. Chrom has also helped a lot with my reformation, considering that he was my best friend, and I cannot thank him enough. _

_Oh! There was something else I've been wanting to talk about for a long time now; it came up on Wednesday of last week. I was walking through the mansion after a free-for-all I won against Mario, Young Link, and Sunny (yay me, if I do say so myself), on my way to lunch I believe, when I came across Kamui talking with someone over the phone. _

_I know it's rude to eavesdrop, but it was Snapp Dragon that pointed her out, and he wouldn't let me go eat the hamburger Rock had promised to prepare me (I don't know how I didn't know about these oddly large sandwiches in the past, but dang, they are so scrumptious, it's almost scary), so I was kind of out of options. Kamui was talking to someone over an ancient phone-like device, so I could hear her, but not the guy on the other end of the line; I remember the conversation eerily clearly: _

_"Master, it's been two weeks since Robin gave up our ways, and it hasn't been helping us", Kamui started. I was immediately concerned; I mean, they were talking about… me. And in such a way after two weeks of me being a half-decent human being. _

_"Yes, yes, I know that it's not my direct duty, but the boy's soul is slipping through our fingers as each day goes by. If we don't act fast, Rosalina could seal it off for good". Who was she talking about? There were plenty of young boys in the mansion. Arus, maybe? Lucas? I don't know. _

_"Look, who do you want me to go at next? I can't take out the boy, you know that. We still-" Kamui stopped suddenly, and I could barely see the edges of her face contort in anger. "Fell Sans did what?! Aerith's Ribbon was ours, wasn't it?" Aerith? Cloud's dead friend? _

_"It's bad enough that Hinawa's Locket and Chihiro's Laptop somehow got into the boy's possession. What about Cosmo's Sprout? We still have it… right? I couldn't have fallen into our prey's hands!" I had heard of that name in that context before, but I couldn't put my finger on when. What in Naga's good name was Kamui talking about? _

_"I'll do what I can, but Master Hand is on high alert, and with Goku at large, even at a little less than half of his power, threats to our plan are very much still alive". If you hadn't heard, Diary, Goku, the infamous Saiyan from the universe of the Dragon Ball, has been trying to attack the Smash Mansion for the past few months. Well, attacking Mega Man is more like it. Now that my sense of empathy has been restored, I feel kind of bad for the poor boy. _

_Wait... boy? _

_I think that's who Kamui was talking about, but that's just a guess. "Someone in this mansion has ½ of Goku's power. That someone could harness the Purest Soul and become even more powerful than you, Master. But, do not fret; I will find the person who is storing Goku's power, and I'll take it for you, Master. Water Princess, out."_

_ Kamui hung up her phone and left the room. Those thoughts were hanging on my mind like fog through lunch, and they stuck there as if they were in a spider web for a while, but Snapp Dragon eventually got me to write it all out, which is why I'm here right now. And he wants my attention again. Well, I hope you liked hearing me out, Diary. Have a nice day. _

With good tidings, 

Robin

_PS: I'm not sure what it is, but something seems off about Mewtwo. But I can't put my finger on what it is. Well, I guess only time will tell._

-End of Story

Thank you all so much for waiting this out until the end. I've really been working hard, and I couldn't have finished it without you. Please, do yourselves a favor, and take care of yourselves, because you are all so wonderful and amazing. As per usual, please leave a comment, follow me if you want to, and have an amazing day. Angel is out!


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